A High School Love Crisis: Tellius Style
by dark armadillo
Summary: Lucia Katti, a junior year student in Melior High, is in love with Soren Calibur. However, Many things intend to ruin this relationship. This is a tale of Lucia's quest for love. Modern Day. AU. Lucia/Soren. T for later chapters. Please R & R.
1. End of Summer

**Author's Note: Hello there, my readers! Anyway, in case you missed the emergency notice, I am completely revising the story. The plans ended up falling apart, and I really didn't like the earlier chapters. Not to mention, I don't think many of the characters had a real, set-in-stone personality. So, yeah. Revisions are over, there will more chapters, and despite the inconvenience, I believe this will make the story all around. Without further complication, please enjoy the prologue for the re-write of, A High School Love Crisis: Tellius Style**

Chapter: 1  
Chapter Title: End of Summer

--

It was evening in the Katti household, and having just finished dinner and now enjoying themselves, the entire Katti family, Lucia, Geoffrey, and Renning (1) now sat on the couch, watching T.V.  
In a few minutes, the T.V. clicked off at the end of the movie, and all was relaxed. Eventually, Renning broke the silence and started off a conversation

"So, school starts in what now, four days"

"Ugh, don't remind me" The Katti siblings groaned simultaneously.

"Oh, don't be like that. You're off to the Royal University (2) for college, Geoffrey. (3) And Lucia might follow in just two years!" (4)

"I know, but just because I'm not a kid anymore, doesn't mean that I've grown out of loving summer vacation!"

"What're you going to be majoring now, Ancient Begnion History?"

"Yes." Geoffrey said with a extreme lack of enthusiasm.

"Shouldn't you be more enthusiastic about college?"

"Yes. he should."

"Well, I know, but-

-and that's what makes him wierd"

"LUCIA!"

~*~*~* Sometime Later That Night *~*~*~

At other times in the day, life was fun in the Katti household, but just before bed, as things calmed down, the only female of the house would head upstairs, calm down, and write a nice entry in her journal, and maybe sketch a bit before drifting off into the inky black dimension of sleep. The girl kept her journals she had written in since roughly age 6 on one shelf, her collection of books holding a large portion of who she was. Tonight's entry, like all the others, was where Lucia poured a little bit more of her soul into the pages...

_Dear Journal,  
_

_Although I really don't like to admit it, I don't lie to myself. School starts in four days, and I'll need  
to deal with it. School itself isn't so hard, but I've put enough of my being into my collection that you  
should know him all to well. Soren. That's right. This year, Soren's turning 18. He'll be a legal adult,  
and at the end of the school year, he's off to the Royal Begnion University for college, _(5)_ no doubt.  
He'll get in easily with his intellect. And I'll be wiped out and left behind without him knowing.  
Well, not on my watch. I've told myself in the past the best I'd every get into is the Royal University.  
Sure, it's a good college, and it definitely ensures a nice future, but I just know my future won't be  
complete unless Soren is in it. This year, I'm working for it. I'm not about to be left out of my future world.  
It's more then just a silly fangirl crush, so much more. I'm in love with Soren. This is love and  
no less. This year is the climax of my life's story, where the conflict is resolved one way or another.  
This isn't your old ordinary love. This is a love crisis._

_I'll need bravery, strength, and luck, so wish me all of them,  
Lucia  
_

--

**Author's Note: There's your intro. Hope you liked it. I've told a lot about the family, and am definitely going to like this version of the story more, and I hope you do to, So please, read and review! Tell me what you think, not for the sake of the reviews but for the feedback! How did I do? What do you think of the re-write plan? Do you like the new start? The new mood? And so much more! Let me know! Constructive criticism is welcome, flames are used to toast marshmallows!**

--

Footnotes:

1- Renning is their father. If you're wondering why Geoffrey and Lucia don't have a mother, it's because Renning's wife was killed. How was she killed? I don't know, maybe some sickness. Who was she? If she existed, she'd probably be an OC. If you, as a reader, have a personal preference as to who their wife should be, then I MAY change my mind, but there's a 99% chance nobody will every bring her up in the story. This footnote simply covers that Renning is their father and Geoffrey and Lucia are not adopted, nor is Renning divorced.

2- Royal University means Crimea Royal University, since they live in Crimea.

3- I know Geoffrey is supposed to be the younger sibling. To me, it always seemed like he looked like and was treated as Lucia's elder. In this story, he is two years older then Lucia

4- Do the math, folks. Geoffrey is just starting college, and college usually comes right after high school. So, this means that since Geoffrey is two years older the Lucia, and Lucia starts high school in two years, and it's the star of the school year, etc., Lucia, this year, is a junior in high school

5- Yeah, in this story, Begnion University is the best college out there. It's kind of like Havard University for us, the people of earth. Saying for the top ten colleges in Tellius for this story, we would place Begnion University at number 1, and Crimea Royal University probably at say, number 6.


	2. The Day Before The First

**Author's Note: Hello again! Next chapter already! I'll be updating very frequently over the break, to make up for not updating once during the past few months (Late September-Early December) So, for the second update, here's the second chapter of the revised A High School Love Crisis- Tellius Style. Taking place on the day before the first day of school (hence the title)**

Chapter: 2  
Chapter Title: The Day Before The First

The morning came. Lucia was abruptly awoken by the crazy beeping of her alarm clock, nearly the exact same time as the sun shined over the horizon.

"Ugh..."

The azure-haired girl sat up, and got ready for the day.

"I need to set this alarm clock back about and hour, sadly... ugh. School. Who likes getting up early? For school? Nobody. And I'm talking to myself. Dang, Elincia is a large influence if I'm acting this insane... (1)  
And, I'm still doing it."

~*~*~* Downstairs, at the breakfast table *~*~*~

Lucia spun the corner, and found her ideal breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast ruined, as Geoffrey had every last piece of bacon on his plate, alongside a seemingly random slice of cake

"I have two questions. 1, what the heck is up with the cake. Oh, and 2, may I please have some of the bacon, you CARNIVORE?"

"I am no carnivore. This cake has a 100% lack of meat"

"You know what I mean! Can I have some bacon."

"Well, yeah, but I don't know if you'd want it. I already touched every piece. I think I licked one or two also. Not to mention-" He paused to swallow another mouthful of bacon "-about half of them are already in my stomach."

"Jerk"

"Brat"

"Calm down, you two, Geoffrey, shouldn't you be the more mature one and handle the situation."

"Come on, Dad, just because Geoffrey is 18, going on 19 doesn't mean he's mature. Look at him. He's either touched, licked, or EATEN each availible piece of bacon. And he got that slice of cake, too."

"Where did you get cake?"

"My desk drawer" he replied calmly

Lucia gave him her 'freaked out' look "you have CAKE in your DESK DRAWER?"

"Actually, desk drawers. And I also have another chocolate cake, and vanilla cake, an oreo pie, an apple cobbler, and a peach cobbler" (2)

"HOW?"

She turned to her dad. "How did you not know about this?"

"I have ABSOLUTELY no idea how you managed to do that, Geoffrey. Are you sure your not bluffing?"

"Positive, not like that gives you the right to steal from my desk t-"

Lucia took off running upstairs.

"LUCIA!"

Geoffrey charged after her, mouth full of cake.

~*~*~* Later that Afternoon... *~*~*~

"Lucia, your school forms came in the mail!"

"Thanks dad."

She grabbed the pack, opened the envelope, found her schedule and summary, and gave the rest to her father to sign.

"Thanks..." he sighed

Let's see... Great! A 4.0!

Geoffrey walked past her "That's kind of what happens to your final grades when you got straight As for every quarter..."

"Oh, you shut up"

"You still owe me half a peach cobbler. And a slice of vanilla cake."

"Do not, I stole those fair and square."

"I have no idea how that makes any sense."

"And neither do I."

"Anyway... Schedule...1st period, Chemistry, Bastian Elwin... 2nd period, Crimean History with Volke Peshkatz... 3rd period, Spanish IV with Stefan Vague... 4th period is Lunch... 5th period, Art III with Ilyana Thoron... 6th period, Pre-Calculus with Heather Baselard-"

"-Aren't she and Mr. Peshkatz married?"

"... I think so... why?"

"Well, why isn't her last name Peshkatz?"

"You don't have to change your name when you get married..."

"Still seems weird."

"Whatever. 7th period is Stagecraft with Oliver Corona, and 8th period is English 11 with Sigrun Silver"

"Bravo, Bravo... Encore... Please, read another of your boring school forms completely and very slowly, aloud. Don't worry about ME. I don't need a chair or anything..."

"Okay, then Geoffrey, only because you asked..."

"What no? Ugh, LUCIA!"

**Author's Note: And that's the second chapter! I hate that I sort of have to actually move on through the story. I really can't wait to write the Soren/Lucia part and all, but I have to write about more school, and writing about Lucia's screwed-up family is just so much fun! Oh well, writing the school parts of the story is boring, although READING it, I'M SURE, will be a MARVELOUS experience for you, causing the irresistable NEED to review. Hope you liked it, DA, signing off!  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- You know that one friend you have who will always seem to say the exact right things and the exact right time, and know what to do, and is really smart and great and all, but is just simply the weirdest person you've ever met? Yeah. That one. Elincia, to Lucia, will fill that role throughout the course of the story.

2- I was REALLY hungry when I wrote that part. But now I have two Choco Tacos! YAY! Choco Tacos!


	3. Homework Already?

**Author's Note: Greetings, readers! I apologize in advance for this incredibly short chapter. Like, it's ridiculously short. Not even 500 words. INCLUDING both author's notes, AND the footnotes. The average chapter length is 1000. So yeah, sorry. It's pretty much the best way to condense Lucia's first day of school this year into one scene. Man, I can't wait to start writing Soren's chapters. (You'll see why later)  
**

Chapter: 3  
Chapter Title: Homework Already?

The first day of school had come already. Like a swift kick to the face, the students prepared for it as best they good, but it knocked them right down.

More surprises were to follow.

~*~*~* 2nd hour, History Class *~*~*~

"So tonight, for homework, due this Thursday, you mut finsh the maps we did today an-"

"HOMEWORK ALREADY! I AM GOING TO **KILL YOU, YOU... **Wait, where'd he go?"

To the whole class, Mr. Peshkatz had just up and disappeared.

"Bad Call" Mr. Volke Peshkatz suddenly slipped out from wherever he was hiding right in front of the desk of the student in question, Ranulf Quickclaw, and swiped the paper off of his desk, tearing it into eigths, stacking the shreds, and stabbing them together, into Ranulf's desk for display, with a pen. (1)

"WHHAAAAAAAAAAA?"

"That's what happens when you run your mouth too long. Today was the only class period you had to work on it"

He handed Ranulf a fresh copy of the page.

"You'll have to do the whole thing at home. And, it's STILL due Thursday" He walked back to his desk very calmly.

"Class dismissed."

**Author's Note: That's it. Yeah. My impression of their first day of school. Ranulf plays a role as a kind-of-important minor character. I know it's ridiculously short, but I hope it was fun too read. That's kind of the goal for this chapter, with a spin on the view and all. My goal is to get one chapter up per day, or more, at least during winter break. It's hard to find time to right during the school year. But for now, I hope you're enjoying the story.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Fairly simple. Take the paper, tear it in half. Tear each half, in half. Now, stack all four quarters of the page on top of one another, and tear it in half. Stack those eight, stab a pen through all of them, a drive down with enough force to embed the pen into a wooden surface. That should provide enough detail for that scene. The teacher reincarnation of Volke, in his full glory.


	4. Passing Time 101

**Author's Note: Hello there, readers. Again. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update over Christmas, with family and other things to take care of, but I MAY update one more time today to make up for it. In other news, I've finally completely finished the revision plans, and settled my mind on 40 chapters! (That includes the epilogue, credits, another thing, and an extra chapter that wraps things up, so chapter 37 is kind of the actual last chapter.) Anyway, here we proceed, with chapter 4.  
**

Chapter: 4  
Chapter Title: Passing Time Developments

--

"Class Dismissed"

Lucia walked out into the hall, down to the left a little ways. Fortunately, her locker was near almost all of her classes. She entered the combination, and swung the door open. She made the quick changes she needed to in her things for her next class, and walked off towards her next class, which was, very fortunately, just down the hall.

She reached the door and decided to just hang outside

"Hey Lucia!"

She turned around and saw Ike walking down the hall to greet her

"Hey Ike. Why are you here? This is a junior class."

"What, am I not welcome here? You're best friend is my girlfriend, so aren't WE friends?" (1)

"I guess you could say that."

"Exactly. So how is school going? Where's your locker?"

She pointed down the hall a bit

"Wow. You're right down the hall from me and Soren."

"What?"

"Yeah, Soren's locker is right next to mine, and... oh... heh heh.. I thought Soren's little crush on you was just one-sided, but..."

"WHAT?!?!?"

"Um... did I say something?"

"SOREN has a crush on me?!?!?"

"Well, you can never be sure, but... Oh heck, who am I kidding? I'm Soren's best friend, of course I can tell, and yes. Talking about you a lot, and..."

"How does he even kno-"

"Ike, I heard my name, who are you talking to and- OH! Um... Hi, Lucia?"

"You know my name?"

"Um... no, absolutely not! I mean, Lucia? AS in, you know, Lucia IS your name, right, I just know because you match all the descriptions, and Ike's told me stories..."

"Ike, _help me out_" He said, the last part frustrated between clenched teeth

"What now, Soren? I wasn't listening." He said, smirking at his best friend

Ike looked between the two of them, and smiled again "I'll just leave you two alone"

"Wait, Ike, no!"

and Ike walked off

"Oh my gosh..."

"Um... Well, bye Lucia!" He said, and quickly walked off

"Well, this might be easier then I thought"

She paused, and realized the other factor "Or, it might be a LOT harder"

the bell rung, and she headed into the classroom.

--

**Author's Note: I usually try to write chapters at least 1000 words long, and this was only about 700, so sorry for these last two chapters being shorter but it's hard to write such a long chain of Lucia chapters without getting bored. But that doesn't really matter, right now. The next chapter MAY be shorter then usual, or be about 1000 words like some of the others. But, chapter 6 is our first Soren chapter! Yay! I love writing those. **

**Footnotes:**

1- Elincia is Lucia's best friend, and Ike is Soren's best friend. These two are linked because Ike and Elincia are boyfriend / girlfriend. Any of my readers who know me at least sort of well, know that I would NEVER miss a chance to put a little Ike/Elincia into a story of mine. Awesome pairing. That aside, I hoped that helped clear things up.


	5. Weekend Relaxation

**Author's Note: Well, it looks like I will be able to make up for not updating tomorrow. So yeah, DEFINITELY don't expect an update tomorrow, but, here's a second update for today, so I can make it up to whoever reads this story. In other news, I've made a slight miscalculation. The story is only going to be 39 chapters in total. BUT, the original, unrevised version was only going to be twenty, so, almost double the length should be good enough, right?  
**

Chapter: 5  
Chapter Title: The First Weekend

--

_"I love you, Soren"_

_"I love you too.... Lucia"_

_"Say it again"_

_"BEEP!"_

_"... What?"_

_"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"_

_"Soren? SOREN?"_

_"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"_

_--_

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The noise suddenly stopped as the Azure-haired girl awoke from her dream and quickly switched off her alarm clock.

"Ugh.. another dream... I seriously need to get this off my chest.... how to do it, though... Boys chase girls, Girls chase boys... The age old struggle"

"Might as well have some breakfast"

without another second wasted, she headed downstairs, got a plate and a fork, and headed back upstairs to Geoffrey's room.

"Geoffrey's still at college, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I took a small (1) amount of oreo pie and peach cobbler from his dessert stash... not at all"

She said, piling a gratuitous amount of said desserts onto her plate. She walked back downstairs again, and crashed on the couch, flipping on the T.V.

she flipped through several of the channels, from some fantasy movies, to some weird cartoon, past Talent-_less _Tellius (2), and eventually found her favorite show, High Tide. (3)

"What a relaxing saturday..."

--

**Author's Note: Okay, so, this chapter WASN'T longer, but they'll get back up to the normal 1000-ish word length soon, I promise! Besides, I finally get to write a few Soren chapters! Yay! Next chapter is a Soren chapter! Those are really fun to write. Just, because, I don't know... They're just fun to write. Soren's awesome. Yeah, so, um... until next time, my readers! And Merry Christmas! ... or Happy Hanukkah ... or Kwanza ... Yeah, whatever you celebrate, Happy Holidays! DA, signing off!  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- 'Small' in this case, is used to describe a very, very large amount.

2- A small shout out to my reader HaveAHeart0301. You rock!

3- The title 'High Tide' was take from an old animation move / short made by one of my friends. It's awesome. I'm unaware if he ever posted it on the internet, or what, but yeah.


	6. Screw You Ike

**Author's Note: Well, I hope your holidays were very good, my readers! I, DA, am back after an AMAZING Christmas, with (drumroll please)... the first Soren chapter! TA-DAH! It's awesome. So, yeah. Hope you like it! Please Read and Review!  
**

Chapter: 6  
Chapter Title: Screw You Ike

Ike Urvan was quite possibly the most popular student in all of Tellius High. His sister Mist Urvan, considering her brother, had quite a bit to live up for. He was the best at most sports, his friend Boyd Reaver being his only possible competition, he was very well liked, a great leader, and, although he despised them, had more fangirls then one could count.

He was followed by his best friend, Soren Calibur. Ike was above average in his intelligence, but Soren was, without a doubt, the smartest student in the school district, perhaps even smarter then a large majority of the teachers. He was, without a doubt, destined for future greatness in biology, earth science, chemistry, scientific history, crimean history, tellius legends, algebra, geometry, advanced calculus, documenting, reading, and writing, and perhaps any acedemic or language class you could name, many teachers at Begnion's Royal University (1) already expecting his application with a ready approval stamp.

Although these two seniors lead the school with their massive reputations and popularity, today, it just so happened, one, was piping mad at the other.

Ike Urvan slammed his longer shut and was about to walk off when a voice shouted to him "FREZE, URVAN!"

He turned around and saw none other then his best friend, Soren Calibur "Hey Soren, what's up?" He smirked at him

"You know exactly what's up, for not backing me up last Friday, in my little 'encounter' with Lucia! Great going!"

Ike chuckled "It's not funny" he said, resuming his glare.

Ike just finally full out laughed "Yes it is!"

"Screw you!" He shouted, kicking Ike in the shin as hard as he could, causing him to fall over.

"Ha, Ha, Ha- Ow, Ow, OW!"

"You know very well, I have a crush on her!"

"At least you admitted it..."

"Yeah, like it matters, since SHE KNOWS TOO!" (2) He kicked Ike again, who fell over (again), just after getting back on his feet.

"There is only ONE punishment I can think of horrible enough for this insane action!"

"Really... ow.. and what would that be.. more shin kicks?"

"Partially" He kicked Ike in the same shin again, causing him to drop and scream out in agony

"AUGH! STOP IT! THAT REALLY HURTS WHEN IT'S KICKED THREE TIMES IN A ROW!"

"Now for the second part. You stay right there.-"

"-Like I have a choice?-"

"-Shut up. You stay there, and I'll go get Micaiah"

"Oh, crap! No, Soren, NO. Not my ex-girlfriend! (3) I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU!"

"Ha ha! Now it's my turn to laugh while you suffer!"

"It's just a- OW!- a joke!"

"Too late for that one!" He replied, disappearing through the doorway to the stairs.

**Author's Note: Yes! This chapter was only about 150 words short of the 1000 word goal! Ha-ha! I love writing Soren chapters. He's an awesome character in this story. Definitely OOC from the game with the whole 'Extreme Loyalty to Ike' thing, but, it's how he is in this story. One of the many things that make his chapters awesome to write. Hope you liked it! I'll update again tomorrow! Yay! Please Read and Review!  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Remember, The Royal University of Begnion is the best school in Tellius.

2- Review chapter 4 of the story. Ike plainly told Lucia that Soren had a crush on her, and even though Soren doesn't know Ike told her, he believes his attitude was a dead giveaway, especially considering that they don't even know each other, and perhaps have only seen or heard stories about the other before. Now, while it's true Lucia also has a giant crush on Soren, he doesn't know that either, so he is ridiculously mad at Ike.

3- For story purposes, I will state that Micaiah was Ike's first girlfriend at Tellius High, but he broke up with her during Sophomore year. In the original version of the story, I stated that sometime during the Spring Break Party conversation. (By the way, due to the amount of chapters, and time planning, I've removed the Spring Break Party from the story.)


	7. Soren's Internal Troubles

**Author's Note: Hey, what's happening? I AM BACK! THAT'S what's happening! I have some notes down for chapters, and I think it's high time I get back to these stories, and stop using school as an excuse. (even if it is pretty rough). I am not making any promises, but I'll try to update on weekends from now on. And, at long last, I present to you- CHAPTER 7!**

Chapter: 7  
Chapter Title: Troubles

Ike Urvan was currently standing up against a wall of lockers, being shouted at continuously by his Ex-Girlfriend, Micaiah Thani. His eyes wandered as he tried to block out her voice, and he saw Soren walking down the hall.

"Soren! You get back here!" Ike shouted to him as his friend walked onward.

"No"

"I know I was little mean, but you've GOT to help me out!"

"HEY! Pay attention to me when I'm talking, you jerk!" Micaiah shouted directly at him, looking him in the eye, having to stand on tip-toes and look upwards to come remotely close to his face.

"Not right now, you little demon!"

"Soren, this is cruel and unusual punishme-"

"LITTLE DEMON? HOW **DARE **YOU, IKE URVAN!" She said, repeatedly hitting him with a book she happened to have with her.

"Agh, stop it! Sheesh, I'm sorry!"

"You had better be! Now PAY ATTENTION!"

"Haven't you already ranted to me about everything you possibly can?"

"RANTING? You call this ranting?"

"What else could it be?"

"One would think you would listen to me, provided that I am pointing out YOUR personal flaws!"

"MY flaws? What did I ever do to you?"

"You ripped out my heart and threw it in a blender like it was nothing, and I assure you that if it were in my power I would literally do the same to you!"

"Micaiah, you just threatened to end my life in a horribly graphic way. That is why our relationship ended. When you look at you and me, do you realize that we both have NOTHING in common?"

Just around the hall corner, Soren, who had been listening, chuckled at his success and walked down to his next class (1)

~*~*~* **Later, in Calculus **(2) *~*~*~

_Ugh, does it really matter that Ike got what he deserved?_

_Revenge doesn't solve my problem at all. Even though I laughed at it earlier, I still have my own troubles._

_Lucia knows that I like her? She must think I'm some freaky stalker now._

_I mean, sure we've seen each other before, but since I know her name and all..._

_It's just all so useless! Who cares if I'm the second most popular guy in the school?_

_Who cares how many girls like me if I can't be with the one **I** like?_

_Who cares if my future is set, who cares if I'm destined for a good college? _

_Really, does it matter if success is in my future life if my future life can't be shared with a companion I like?_

_How am I going to get out of this one? Really, it's just so-  
_

"Okay, pass your papers forward!"

Suddenly, Soren snapped out of his thoughts and starred down at the blank pop quiz in front of him.

He quickly turned to the clock, and saw that class ended in five minutes.

_How did that happen?_

"Hey, Soren!" Soren turned around to see Shinon Deadeye (3), holding the papers of the four people behind Soren in his hand.

"Here you go" He said, dropping the papers into Soren's hand, who passed them to the person in front of him before turning back around.

_Letting something like this get in the way of grades, what's wrong with me? This isn't normal..._

**Author's Note: Well, was it worth the wait? Probably not, considering it took forever for the chapter to come out, but I hope you liked it anyway, and will continue to read the story now that updates should finally get back to being regular. See you next time, where we do another Lucia chapter!  
**

Footnotes:

1- I hope you liked Micaiah's first appearance. Just letting you know, that part was really fun to write.

2- By calculus, I mean a calculus class you would take in your second year of college (after trigonometry), not pre-calculus. Soren would have to visit the Royal University during this period to take this class. He would also take a second year college science class at the royal university, and be a year ahead in english and history, taking different electives at the high school. This means he has had all of his science and math credits since the end of his sophomore year, and his english and history credits since the end of his junior year. This footnote is here to give you an idea of just how smart Soren is, not just clarify what class this is.

3- I believe Ike is 17-18, and Shinon is 20-21. In this story, Soren and Ike are the same age, and Soren is taller, etc., since Soren is not branded. This would make Shinon in his second year of college, since Soren is a senior. This is why Shinon is in his class, since it is a second year college course.


	8. Lucia's External Troubles

**Author's Note: Well, this update is a day early, and thus so far, weekend updates have been working, and hopefully will continue to do so. I was able to update a little earlier then planned as I was sick for the past few days, which is bad because I'll have more homework, but good because I was able to update early, as you can see. This chapter is another Lucia chapter, but both 9 and 10 will be Soren chapters. This is pretty much a normal chapter, but it does feature the appearance of two new minor characters.  
**

Chapter: 8  
Chapter Title: Thoughts From Others

Jill Fizzart, a junior at Tellius High walked down the halls of the school with her senior boyfriend, Zihark Brave at her side. (1) As she came to a hallway intersection, she saw her friend Lucia Katti, leaning against her locker, not looking too well. She stopped to think. Despite the fact that she enjoyed spending time with Zihark, she put her friends happiness before her own, and decided she should try and cheer her up.

"Jill? Jill?"

"Hm? What? Where you saying something?"

"Yeah, I was asking if something was wrong?"

"Yeah, Lucia's not looking very good. See?"

"So, you want to go help her out or something?"

"Yeah, you can go onto your own class, I can just get to math myself."

"Are you sure? Do you want my help, or?"

"Well, she's been a bit troubled recently, and I think it's better if I talk to her myself."

"Oh, okay. I'll meet you at your locker after 6th period, okay?"

"Sure thing, bye Zihark."

"Later." he said as he continued strolling down the hall. Jill walked down the other hall towards Lucia.

"Hey! Lucia!" She called out.

"... Hm?" The azure haired girl looked up, surprised.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, Jill?"

"You don't look so good, and there has to be a good reason for it."

"Ugh... you can always tell, can't you? Is 'Soren' enough?"

"That's what I thought. You're down because this is your last year to go after him, right?"

"Of course..."

"and let me guess, he still hasn't noticed you?"

"You would think so, but there's actually a possibility that he might actually like me."

"What? Shouldn't you be more excited about that!"

"Well, I don't know if Ike is just teasing me, or what, but..."

"Wait, Ike? Teasing? Do you like him too, or-"

"No, no. He's dating Elincia anyway... but... he said Soren has a crush on me."

"Why would Ike lie about something like that?"

"I don't know, it's just-"

"Why are you suddenly so depressed anyway? It's not like this is anything new, you've been chasing him since freshman year, and you haven't let it get to you so far this year. You've been positive until now, and you would think you'd be happier with odds like these in your favor."

"I don't know, I've tried to keep a positive attitude, but after I learned about him maybe liking me on Friday, just- well, I was able to keep it out of my head over the weekend and stay happy, but now I can't stop thinking about him, and the more I think about it now, the slimmer the chances of this being real seem to become! It really is my last chance, and I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"You need to make your move, because Soren more then likely has no idea you like him. If this hadn't happened, you wouldn't have been able to do ANYTHING about it this year. Lighten up, and be positive. Every cloud has a silver lining."

Color returned to Lucia's face, and so looked up at her friend.

"You know what, you're right. Thanks, Jill."

"No problem. You needed it."

**Author's Note: Yeah, the chapter was a little shorter then normal, but being honest, it's more of a filler chapter then anything else. Next time we get back to Soren, and chapter ten is another Soren chapter where Elincia will make her first appearance! Until next time, my readers!  
**

Footnotes:

1- I'll just say, I support Jill/Haar much more then I do Zihark/Jill, however, in this story, Haar is a teacher, and that would just not be right, so, for this story, it's Zihark/Jill.


	9. Things In The Near Future

**Author's Note: Yay for you, another slightly early update. Well, we're back to Soren chapters. This is a basic, not so exciting chapter. The next chapter will be Elincia's first appearance (as I believe I've mentioned in author notes prior to this one) and will be a longer, more well written chapter. I've been writing drafts for that one for a while, so, yeah, hopefully chapter 10 will be something to look forward to. Anyways, I'm really just rambling at this point, so enjoy the chapter without further ado.**

Chapter: 9  
Chapter Title: Things In The Near Future

"Hey Soren."

"... Hi."

"What's the matter?"

"What do you think!"

"Oh, that. Well, you don't need to be so down in the dumps because of that. Really, I even forgave you for your cruel treatment to me!"

"YOU forgave ME? Are you crazy?"

"Could be."

"You're weird."

"Then why are we best friends?"

"I ask myself the same thing sometimes."

"I'm sure so."

"Is there a point to this conversation?"

"Oh, right! I remember now. Basically, I need to drop off Mist for trick-or-treating (1) on Halloween night (2), and Elincia and I are going to Calill's (3), and we were wondering if you would like to come with us."

"Sure, it's not like I have anything better to do. When should I meet you there?"

"Um... Halloween night?"

"No, the time! How are you even remotely academically successful?"

"Oh, right. Is 8:00 good?"

"Sure."

"Cool. You know where it is, right?"

"Yeah, it's on the south side of central square." (4)

"Great, so, I'll see you there. Oh, and bring your girlfriend, so you won't feel like a third wheel."

"Um, I hang out with you and Elincia all the time, and I never feel like a third whee- hang on, I don't have a girlfriend!"

"I meant Lucia." Ike casually replied, smirking.

"I'm going to kill you one of these days." Soren shot back with a glare.

"Oh, I'm sure so." Ike jokingly said, before walking off. "See you on Halloween."

"Yeah, if you're lucky enough to live until then." Soren said to himself.

**Author's Note: Nothing much to say that wasn't really said in the opening note, other then an apology I owe you for the crappy chapter title. So, see you next time! (I always wondered myself why I act like it's the end of the chapter after my notes, when most people would probably go on to read the footnotes. Oh well, whatever.)  
**

Footnotes:

1- As you may have noticed, I've altered ages in the story, Soren being much more like Ike, and around his age since he's not branded, Geoffrey being five years older then Lucia, and so on. Mist is never given as specific age in fire emblem games, but in this story, she is currently in the seventh grade, so that's twelve years old, so, somewhere during those last few years of trick-or-treating, but still the right age. Just clarifying any confusion over that, since she appears to be older then that in Radiant Dawn. (at least in my opinion, she looks like a fourteen or fifteen year old in RD, or MAYBE, but probably not, a sixteen year old)

2- I don't think I ever explained how the time system works in this story. Chapters 1 and 2 were August, chapters 3-6 were September, and chapters 7-10 are October. November is 11-14, December is 15-18, January is 19-22, February is 23-26, March is 27-30, April is 31-34, May is 35-38, and June will be 39 and 40. Basically, the story is currently around the third week in October, chapter 10 will take place on Halloween. After chapter 10, we move into to November, and there are 4 chapters per month until June, which are the two concluding chapters. Just thought I'd let you readers know how the story timeline works.

3- Holy crap! Three footnotes in once sentence! Anyway, Ike is talking about Calill's Everything Café, which is a standard cafe, a creamery, and a bakery. So yeah. Everything. Hence the name. It's the most successful restaurant in Crimea, owned by Calill Arcane.

4- A smaller detail I never explained (at least I don't think I did) is that the high school are characters attend is in Melior, which is sort of like a mix of Columbus, Ohio (in terms of weather, city size, population, and environment) and NYC (in terms of pretty much everything else- without all the taxi cabs). Anyways, that aside, "Central Square" is like Times Square in NYC.


	10. Calill's Café

**Author's Note: Wow. I can't believe we're a quarter way through the story already (not counting the epilogue and credits.) Well, this chapter is almost 2000 words, (It's 1969 words long) and thus took quite a while to write. In this chapter, you shall see some real development, instead of filler chapters that only sort of progress the plot. Without further ado, enjoy the tenth installment of _A High School Love Crisis- Tellius Style. _(I have decided the story name looks cooler when I italicize it instead of underlining it, like I did in the first two chapters.)  
**

Chapter: 10  
Chapter Title: Calill's Café

Soren Calibur was met with a road block, cars not allowed in the central square during holiday celebrations, and so he parallel parked his silver convertible near to the road block, before getting out and heading out to find Calill's Café. He had a good idea of where it was, but it was hard to tell when thousands of people filled the streets throughout central square, causing almost anybody there to lose their sense of direction. Soren, however, was not easily distracted, and didn't have to hard of a time getting on the road.

_"Now all I need to do is remember where I parked. Great."_ Soren thought to himself as he walked onward.

He eventually rounded a corner, and the bright neon sign for "Calill's Everything Café" came into view. He stepped inside the door, and took off his mage coat (1), hanging in on a coat hanger, taking off his gloves, and putting them in the pockets of his dark denim jeans. He made sure his hair was still tied back correctly, and that his mage gale shirt was correctly adjusted. He checked his watch, finding it was the correct time. Now, he just needed to find Ike. They probably should've came up with a meeting place ahead of time. But then, he suddenly heard a "Come on!" Farther up the line, and headed towards it, recognizing the voice.

Up at the front, he saw Ike with Elincia, speaking with Calill.

"Come on, Calill! Not even a discount?"

"Ike, I'm busy tonight, and I don't care how well I know you. You can't have a discount."

"If you don't give us a discount, I'll have Elincia tell Lucia, who will tell Geoffrey. (2)"

"Geoffrey would probably find some way to compliment me for it."

"Relax, Ike. I'll pay for it."

"Oh, hi Soren!"

"Hi Elincia."

"Well, I have most of the money."

"You didn't even bring money for the actual food?"

"Well..."

"Oh my gosh... let's just go. Here, Calill." He said, handing her the money.

"Thank you, Soren."

The three headed into the restaurant, found a nicer booth, and Ike and Elincia sat down on one side, Soren sitting on the other.

"You didn't even bring enough money for the table fee! Why not! Your family is completely rich! (3)"

"Well, I actually have a lot more money then that, and my dad's credit card, but-"

"WHAT?"

"Well, you see, Elincia said that we could get a discount, and-"

"I did not!"

"Okay, yeah. The discount was my idea. Anyways, I was trying to get Calill to get us a discount, because she's sort of a family friend, and I was hoping that I could pull it off."

"That doesn't explain why you didn't pay for it when you realized you wouldn't get a discount."

"Well, I was pretending that I didn't bring enough money, and then you showed up, and if had just payed for it then, she would know I had that money all along."

"Ike, I'm supposed to think up the crazy ideas!" Elincia said in an upset tone

"I'm sorry, Elincia."

"I forgive you" She replied and hugged him, suddenly incredibly happy.

"You are crazy."

"But you love me."

"Ike!"

"What is it Soren, are you jealous or something? You should've brought Lucia."

"No, I'm trying to get you to focus, because our waiter is here."

Ike looked to the side, and saw Oscar.

"Oh, hi Oscar." (4)

"Hello Ike. It's nice to see things are working out with you and Elincia, but could you explain as to why Soren is here?"

"Oh, this isn't a date. I could've been a double date, if he had brought Lucia."

"Lucia?"

"Yeah, he likes her."

"Don't go around saying that, Ike!"

"Well then... tonight is obviously Halloween, and we have fitting specials for the occasion. You'll find them at the dessert section, ranging from haunted pumpkin pie to chocolate ghosts and skulls."

"I think we'll pass."

"What about drink specials?" Elincia asked eagerly. "Do you have chocolate peppermint eggnog?"

"Um... no... we don't have eggnog and different flavors of it until Christmas... but we do have a ice pumpkin latte, complimented by spice."

"That's close enough."

"Right, okay, I'll get you that. On that subject, can I get you two anything to drink?"

"I'll take a root beer." Said Ike

"Panacea is good for me." (5)

"Okay then..." Said Oscar as he finished writing. "Here are your menus, and I'll be back with your drinks to take your order."

"So, what are you guys going to order?" Soren asked.

"Fettuccine Alfredo with herbs, from the international section!" Elincia replied happily. (6)

"I'm getting two giant steaks. That's going to be delicious. What about you?"

"I'm going to get the personal pizza plate."

"Sounds great."

~*~*~* Five Minutes Later *~*~*~

"Well, here is your latte" He said, handing it to Elincia

"And one pepsi and a root beer." He handed Ike a Soren their respective drinks.

"Now, what will we be having tonight?"

"Fettuccine alfredo for Elincia, and two large steaks for me."

"Two? Enormous appetite as always, Ike. And for you Soren?"

"The personal pizza plate."

"And how would like that customized for you?"

"Two cheese pizza slices, and a cheese bread tray."

"Okay then, I'll be back with that in a bit."

~*~*~* After The Meal... *~*~*~

"Here are your desserts and leftovers, in boxes as requested. So, who will be paying tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking we would all-"

"Ike is." Soren said, cutting off Ike.

"Okay then, Ike, here's the bill. Thank you for dining with us tonight."

"Wait, what? Soren!"

"You deserved it."

"You are really taking this Lucia things seriously, aren't you?"

"Wait, Soren likes Lucia?" Elincia asked.

"No." Soren quickly said.

"Yeah, he is madly in love with her. As a matter of fact, A desire to passionately make out with her overwhelms him every time he sees her. Where have you been all night? I was making fun of him like non-stop during the meal."

"Well, Lucia likes him."

"Well, did you hear that, Sor- wait, where'd he go?" Ike questioned. Afterwards, his eyes found a note on the table.

_While you were talking to Elincia, more then likely  
telling her horrible exaggerations about my feelings  
for Lucia..._

"Well, he got that part right." Ike said to himself while reading, smiling to himself.

_ Oscar said you could leave the money on  
the table. I was serious about you paying. See you  
on Monday._

_-Soren_

Ike's smile disappeared and his jaw dropped to the floor as saw the massive bill on the table.

"SEVENTY FOUR DOLLARS AND TWENTY CENTS? MY DAD IS GOING TO KILL ME!"

"I hope he doesn't because I need a ride home."

"Ugh, let's just go... I need to calm down and I hope I survive until tomorrow..."

~*~*~* Back at Soren's Car *~*~*~

"Sometimes I just have too much fun." Soren said to himself before driving off.

**Author's Note: That wasn't exactly easy to write. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. With Elincia's first appearance, I hope you got a good idea of her craziness with the hyperactivity and random comments. I really wanted to have her debut well written, since she has a pretty major role in the story. Please Review! (Really I'm not just saying that. Tell me what you think. I get a lot of people adding the story to their favorites and reading, and that's great, but I want some feedback, so I can make the story as good as possible.) I'll see you next week, my readers!  
**

Footnotes:

1- Soren doesn't actually have his mage robes from fire emblem game. Mage is just a clothes brand in the story, because I thought it would be fitting for Soren to own a mage coat. It's basically a black designer jacket. The mage gale shirt mentioned shortly after the mage coat is a navy blue shirt with a design similar to the aircalibur spell from FE eight. Just clarifying that the clothes in this story represent FE games, but in case you didn't realize, the characters wear normal clothes, since this is modern day AU.

2- Calill is Geoffrey's girlfriend, and, like most characters, she isn't given a specific age in FE games. In this story, she is two months younger then Geoffrey. Basically, Calill's response to them about Geoffrey complimenting her for it is pretty accurate. Just letting you know how Calill relates to the other characters. And yes, she is a college student that owns the most successful restaurant in Crimea, and she did not inherit it, which you should be able to tell from the fact that she named it after herself. She's just an extremely talented cook.

3- Ike's family is rich because his dad retired early. He used to be a high ranking military officer, and earned a ton of money while in that profession. His mom, Elena, is a stay at home mom, since Ike's parents have more then enough money to live the rest of their lives in luxury, and provide their children with that same luxury until they move out, as well as pay for entirely for their college education. Yeah. They're REALLY rich. I believe I mentioned that they were rich and why they were in the spring break party in the original draft, but I thought I should clarify why they are rich and that they are rich for readers who never read the story before I began the revision.

4- Ike knows Oscar because he's friends with Boyd, and Boyd, Oscar, and Rolf are still brothers in this story. I chose to have Oscar work at the café because he's a good cook, which you may recall from the games.

5- FE version of pepsi. I know it's a status healing item, but foods and beverages are never talked about in the games. It's safe to assume panacea is medicine, because vulneraries, concoctions, and elixirs are, but this is fanfiction, so it can be whatever I want it to be.


	11. Locked In My Head

**Author's Note: I regret having to tell you that in this story, the entire month of November (chapters 11, 12, 13, and 14) is just one big filler. I apologize in advance for the fact that the plot will hardly advance in these next chapters, if at all. (It's really just different chapters with Soren and Lucia thinking about the other) However, there is major plot progress in December, so I hope you continue to read the story, and will forgive me for these next few boring chapters. So, if possible, enjoy this update and those to come.**

Chapter: 11  
Chapter Title: Locked In My Head

Soren Calibur sat in Jazz Band (1), the only thing on his mind being a certain azure-haired female.

_What am I going to do?_

"Soren!"

Soren was snapped back out of his thoughts by the words of the Jazz Band director, Naesala Maelstrom.

"What? Huh?"

"I said page 14, Soren. You know, page 14 in the book?"

"Oh... right..."

"It's 'Sleigh Ride'"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good, NOW here we go. At the top, and a 1, and a 2, and a 1, 2, ready, go!"

Soren's hand flew across the piano with the intro, and he began to play the looping background. As he did so, he inevitably got lost in his thoughts again, which wandered right back to Lucia

_What am I going to do? My chances with Lucia, this gorgeous woman with the greatest personality, are just slipping through my fingers like grains of sand! This isn't even a crush, I love her, and there's no way it could happen. Does she like me? No, Ike has a lot more fangirls then me. Maybe she likes another junior, or nobody even. And word is getting around that I like her... I just have no idea what I'll do!_

"Soren!"

"What? What? Hang on, huh, what?"

"What has gotten into you? Our concert is next month, and you're suddenly playing like crap! In case you didn't notice, the rhythm section is sort of important, specifically the part where you're the only one accompanying the vocalists. I don't have to do this, you know. The class is for fun, but we've still got to work. Just play the piano, and please, play it good."

"Right, sorry."

The rest of the class went on, and while Soren did not lose himself again, he did have a hard time keeping a one track mind. He received near constant glances from the teacher and his classmates due to his unusually sloppy playing, compared to his standard expertise. Time passed, and the bell eventually rang.

Soren walked out the door to the senior lot, unlocking his car and throwing his backpack in before hopping in and driving off. He almost ran several red lights and drove very poorly on his way home.

Finally, he reached his house and walked up to the door, unlocking it with his key and heading inside.

"I'm home."

"Soren, you're late." His father Kurthnaga responded, walking into the entrance hallway.

"Yeah, I know."

"You don't look too well. Did something happen."

"I'm just feeling under the weather. Not really in a good mood."

"You're really pale. You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, okay... let me know if you need anything. I'll be in my office."

"Okay." Soren replied, heading up the stairs to his bedroom.

He walked in, threw his backpack on the floor of his usually neat room, and then collapsed on his bed. He heard a small meow, and looked to his door to see a black cat with a gray-ish white underbelly sitting there.

"Hey Kezdha" (2) Soren greeted his pet, who ran into his room and jumped up onto the bed.

"I wish I could be you." Soren said to the feline as he pet him

"Not a single worry in the world. But, no, I've got to worry about Lucia, and it's screwing with my head. If only my life was a carefree as yours. If only..."

**Author's Note: Not really much to say here. I really hope these next few chapters won't be to boring... anyways, thanks for reading, please review if you read, etc. etc., blah blah blah. In a ll seriousness, I hope you weren't as bored reading that as I was writing it.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Just in case I have any curious readers out there, I was able to develop an entire schedule for Soren. During first and second period Soren is taking college sophomore level calculus and physics at the royal university, since no high school teachers are able to teach those subjects. Calculus is taught by Titania Reaver (who is Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf's step-mother. She is married to Nolan, and her maiden name is Sol. I made her their step mother because neither Titania or Nolan have green hair.), and Physics is taught by Izuka Feral. Third period Soren has French V with Leonardo Dawn. Fourth period Soren has Etymology with Sigrun Silver. Fifth period for Soren is Tellius History, Sixth period is lunch, Seventh period is Concert Band (Soren plays multiple instruments- for Concert Band, he plays percussion), and Eighth period is Jazz Band (mentioned in this chapter, Soren plays piano for Jazz Band).

2- For those who don't know about Kezdha, he is a unique black cat laguz. He is the boss in chapter 3-6 of radiant dawn if Lethe dies prior to that chapter. I've decided to make some Laguz (like ranulf and kurthnaga) humans, and others animals in this story. I don't know why, but I felt Kezdha was a pet that would suit Soren. I really like Kezdha's character, and wish he was playable (according to the fire emblem wiki (he is stronger then Lethe, who can be surprisingly good if you bother to train her) and almost as good as Ranulf.


	12. High Hopes

**Author's Note: Not much to say. Here's another boring chapter. Hope you can live through it. I know I wouldn't be able to.  
**

Chapter: 12  
Chapter Title: High Hopes

"Hi Lucia, whatcha doin'?"

"Not right now, Elincia."

"What are you read-"

"Shh!"

_Dear Lucia Katti,_

_We've never formally introduced ourselves, but I feel as though it's okay to tell you this._

_I have admired you from afar for a very long time, gazing at your beauty._

_At various events throughout the years, I wished you could be mine, that I could hold you in my arms, and press your lips to mine._

_Your personality is incredible, and your appearance is even more enchanting. At homecoming just mere weeks ago I watched you from afar, adoring your elegant sleeveless white shirt with dazzling coat tails, and the equally fascinating white sleeves and thigh-length high heel boots that covered the pink-red under sleeves and tights you wore beneath them._ (1)

_On all occasions, no matter how attractive your attire was, I could not be more drawn to you then I was by your beautiful face and azure hair._

"Wow..." Elincia commented, reading over her friend's shoulder

"I can't believe Soren really likes me..." Lucia said, in awe as she read on.

The compliments went on for two or three pages, Lucia finally coming to the end of this grand love note.

_Lucia, you are the girl of my dreams, a wonder any guy would be massively lucky to have. And I hope I am possibly that, lucky..._

"Here it is..." Lucia said in blissful anticipation.

"I only wish to spend all instant of the rest of my life with you, and hope you will accept my feelings. With all the love in my heart, your more then hopeful new found lover... JANAFF INSIGHT? Ugh..." Lucia sighed in disappointment.

"What do you mean 'Ugh'! I'm a great guy!"

"Janaff! When did you get here!"

"Remember that part in the letter about my eyes always being on you? Yeah."

"How could you possibly... oh, never mind. How did manage to write this anyway?"

"Well, Ulki helped me out with all the flowery language. (2) He told me it was hopeless. I should've known he was right."

"You really should've, no offense. You've been trying since... how long has it been now?"

"Since 4th grade. That's seven years."

"Seriously Janaff, please find somebody else. I'm sorry, but I **love **Soren."

"Psh, of course you do. It's always Soren, Ike, or Boyd... seniors sucking up all the female affection in the school..."

"No, Janaff. I literally love him."

"You know, I'm telling you, when you get over your hopeless crush, you'll come crawling back to me, and-"

"I told you, I- you know what, never mind. Janaff, we've been friends for ages. But please stop trying to make us more then that. Plenty of girls would love to go out with you, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"See you in study hall, okay?"

"Yeah, okay..." Janaff replied, walking off.

**Author's Note: And one more boring chapter out of the way. I'm also sorry to say that this chapter is probably the most interesting of the filler chapters. No real plot progress, as I said before, but I hope you can bear with me until chapter 15.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- This is, for those who read carefully, Lucia's attire from radiant dawn. In a modern day AU story like this, characters obviously where modern attire. So, I feel elegant clothing like that is more fitting for a special occasion, per say, a school dance, as it is used here. In case you forgot how Lucia looks or something, look up Lucia on the fire emblem wiki for a good visual. And in case you were wondering, Lucia's hair is the same length in this story as it is in radiant dawn.

2- Ulki is Janaff's older brother. He's a college senior. So yeah, he can write fancy letters like this. Janaff, being shy about the matter, clearly would note be able too.


	13. Science Of The Heart

**Author's Note: Hey, guess what! I have good news! I know what you're thinking "But dark armadillo, the filler chapters aren't over yet!" Well, I know that, but I can actually make this chapter interesting. While writing the last chapter, if you read the footnotes, I made up a schedule for Soren. In that schedule, I mentioned that his college physics professor was Izuka Feral. This chapter was supposed to be a Lucia chapter about science class, but using Izuka's potential as far more then a scholar (more or less a psycho), I was able to make it far more interesting, simply by changing it to a Soren chapter about science class. So I lied when I said chapter 12 was the most interesting out of the filler chapters. Sadly, this is still a filler chapter, and while it may be a cool filler chapter, there's still no progress in the plot.  
**

Chapter: 13  
Chapter Title: Science of the Heart

Soren Calibur walked up the stairs of Crimea's Royal University, to the area with teacher offices. He walked down all the way and took the last door on the left, as instructed. The door to Izuka Feral's office was fairly frightening. He had always though his physics classroom was a little dusty and old, but it never really mattered to him.

The door must have been centuries old, and it wasn't even a single kind of wood. The crooked lines in between the shades of brown evidenced that the door had been repaired several times. The handle was old brass, and when he opened the door, it creaked horribly. He walked in inside, and closed it behind him. When it finally did close, the dust around it was knocked up, and Soren had to cover his mouth with his arm as he coughed.

He found that right inside the door was a huge storage room, but there was a staircase to it's side. He assumed that's wear the office was, and walked up the stairs. They were made of rusted metal, the kind unknown as it was painted black. He reached the top of the unstable spiral staircase, and looked around the room, noticing Izuka in his desk, wearing his usual eyepiece and three coats, the outermost one being purple with some fur of some sort on the collar. (1) He was currently reading a book.

"Um.. you wanted to see me, professor?"

"Hm? Oh, Soren, yes... have a seat..."

Soren pulled up a chair, and sat down. He looked around Izuka's office. The desk was very impressive, as were the bookshelves and the massive collection of books therein. The books were many colors, all darker shades, however they stretched from golden to green to dark red and dark blue, even some indigo thrown in. The books encompassed a whole wall, and while Soren could not investigate to thoroughly, he could tell the whole thing was cataloged. A single, smaller shelf, was filled completely with dark purple books, all with mysterious names- Imhullu, Dulam, Fenrir, Eclipse, Ereshkigal, Verrine, and Balberith, the book he had just rolled his chair over to to put back.

"Dark tomes" Izuka said, noticing the curious look on Soren's face.

"... I see..." Soren was quite disturbed, but kept it all in his thoughts. He certainly hoped Izuka did not practice dark magic on any grounds, as dark tomes were full of rituals and all kinds of twisted arts, specifically certain spells that could be repeatedly cast due to the number of pages. Of course, magic was not real, and the stories of spells were all false, but it was still creepy. (2)

Soren put it out of his mind, and then continued to look around. He continued to look around the environment that was the exact opposite of his high class desk and literature collection. He had a single dim light bulb hanging from his ceiling, with no switch as far as Soren could see. Like the rest of his office, everything else Soren saw was wood that was probably rotten, and cobwebs and dust everywhere. However, his eyes that fell upon a framed picture he had missed before. The picture was of a young woman, maybe in her early twenties. She had black hair that fell down to just below her neck, and pure white skin. She was wearing a tye-dye shirt, and jeans.

"She looks nice" He commented as he saw the picture

"Psh, maybe back then. You should see the old hag now, I tell ya."

"Oh? Are you married?"

"...Yeah..."

"How long?"

"Hmm... sixty... three years? No, no, sixty two and... four months. Sixty two years and four months."

"That's a long time..."

"I know, right? That wench'll never die."

"Um... not really what I meant..." Soren said under his breath

"Anyways, what did you want to see me for?"

"Oh, yes, well, your tests scores reflect you excellently, but I noticed you've been distracted in class recently. Do you mind sharing?"

"Um... well... but do the distractions matter? I mean, come on, really professor-"

"Oh, so it's love?"

Soren paused "How did you come to that conclusion!"

"Come now, Soren, you don't need to hide from me. I only wanted to know what's got your mind busy. You might want to be learning things so you can continue doing as well as you have. Seniors get all lazy their last year of high school, and just blow everything off, and then they end up working at a fast food chain 'restaurant'"

"Um... you don't teach seniors... I'm in a college II class..."

"Yes, well, it still applies to you."

"... Sure..."

"Here, fill this out." He said, handing him a sheet of paper

"Um... okay..." Soren said, reading over the many math problems and questions. He quickly filled them out, as they were very simply, and handed it back to Izuka.

"Hm... so it's Lucia Katti, huh?"

"How did you deduce that from my answers! Those were math problems!"

"That's a yes. Fine young lady, what do you see in her?"

"Well, um-" Soren stuttered to reply, far from comfortable discussing this with a man who was nearly 100.

"Azure hair, crystal blue eyes, an elegant body that entrances you like the sunrise, good choice of words."

Soren nearly fell out of his chair. The man was a mind reader!

"Look, professor, I really should be going." Soren said in a hurry.

"By all means, go ahead. I have all the information I need- I simply wanted to know what was keeping a smart man like you from exercising his full potential, hm?"

"Okay... yeah..." Soren said, pushing in his chair and hurrying down the stairs.

The doors labeled "storage" and "potions room" now meant a lot more to him in creepiness. There was even an eerie door behind all the boxes that just might as well lead to a cult meeting room and ritual altar- all he knew is he wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.

Soren slammed the door to the office behind him, shaking off more dust, and breathing heavily from such fast running.

He had always assumed his science teacher was even just a little out of it. At this rate, he couldn't wait for the school year to be over.

**Author's Note: So, yeah, hopefully that was interesting. If not, I tried, right? Just bear with me until December, my readers- it may feel like the lack of plot progress has lasted too long, but chapters 15-18 will be your saviors. Feel free to predict, but with only one filler chapter, I'm not really worrying about having to write the next one since I'm excited to write what comes after, the most plot-filled part of the story yet! And there was much rejoicing. References aside, I'll see you next week.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Yes, this is Izuka's radiant dawn clothing. He's a psycho, so I didn't feel he needed a change in clothes.

2- As you probably noticed in earlier chapters, I've changed characters around a bit, but kept their base characteristics, and changed them into modern things (i.e. Soren's wind themed shirt and mage coat in chapter 10, etc.). For Izuka, I decided to use dark magic like this, as some cult ritual set of books, simply to cover Izuka's frightening appearance for this chapter the best I could.


	14. Thanksgiving Dinner

**Author's Note: Lo and behold, the final filler chapter has arrived! Now, you may read it and proceed to rejoice at the return of the plot, eagerly awaiting next weeks update, to the point where you may die from excitement. I'll let you do that.  
**

Chapter: 14  
Chapter Title: Thanksgiving Dinner

The raven haired young man sat in his cushioned, wheeled, rotatable chair, reading his science textbook "The Arts of Anima Science" with his legs on his desk.

_Chapter 3- Wind Magic_

_Wind Magic, like both fire and thunder, is cast in latin- it is the arts of the wind, and also, on more advanced levels, can be used in coordination with ice, by chilling the air with sheer power. This kind of magic i-_

Soren flipped the book shut and tossed it onto the desk, scoffing at it._  
_

'Anima' was term Soren knew as 'Pseudo Science', also known as untestable and fake. The title was incorrect; Magic was not an art, it was not real, and if it was, it was certainly not real science- Soren probably should've known something was up when he gave them the book as a reading assignment, and not for labs, a homework reference, or a study guide.

His science teacher, Izuka Feral, had effectively creeped him out last week, and he had been avoiding any form of contact with the madman since then. Soren didn't want to be in the same room as somebody like that, and he definitely did not want to deal with somebody like that for a whole year. The man could teach physics, and he was very intelligent, but he was absolutely crazy.

On top of all of that was Lucia, who was a big part of the train wreck that once was his orderly mind.

Then, the call of Ena Calibur, his mother, interrupted his thinking.

"Soren, they're here!"

"Coming!"

It was thanksgiving, and his relatives were visiting.

Soren shut the door to his room behind him, and walked down the stairs. A quick left took him to the entrance hall, where relatives were just now entering, his uncle rajaion shaking hands with his father, Kurthnaga Calibur (1).

"Soren!" His aunt said, immediately giving him a gigantic hug.

"Woah! Aunt... Almedha... I can't... can't... breath..." He said, slowly losing the air from his lungs.

"Ah, right, I really must control myself." She said, putting Soren down and allowing him to regain his breath." (2)

"Come on in Pelleas- don't be shy!"

"Yes, mother." replied Soren's cousin, Pelleas, walking through the door.

Soren and Pelleas could get along okay, but Soren had never become to fond of him; (3) the man had been ridiculously spoiled growing up, as his adopted father (4) Rajaion was rich beyond all belief, being the CEO of Hammerne, a company that could make almost any kind of repair imaginable, with all kinds of separate departments in their massive buildings they had in downtown Melior. (5) As a result of all of this, his pampered cousin was shy and naive, and more or less a big wimp; he probably couldn't even camp out in his own backyard for a night without having a mental breakdown.

Yes, Soren's family was a strange one- he had a fanatic aunt, a very quiet uncle, a... unique cousin (to put it nicely), and then his grandfather Dheginsea, who told all kinds of stories and had to be at least a thousand years old. (6)

The dinner was nice, as both his mother Ena and aunt Almedha could cook very well- there was obviously the traditional turkey, which was put on a fine china platter with herbs to look nice, and there was also cranberries, cranberry sauce, rolls, sweet potatoes, corn, cornbread, butter, and a few pumpkin pies with whipped cream for a delicious dessert.

Dinner was great, the family making pleasant conversation as they talked, but through the whole meal, Soren stayed quiet, his head not focused on his food, but on the cerulean haired woman that filled his life with complexity.

**Author's Note: Not much to say here- I'm going to start writing up next week's chapter right now. In the mean time, you may follow the instructions given in the opening author's note.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Yeah, I know that Ena was engaged to Rajaion in the games, but it's my story, so I can do whatever I want, okay? I happen to like Kurth/Ena.

2- Once again, this is my story. Kurthnaga and Almedha are brother and sister still, but Rajaion is Kurth's brother in law, not real brother, and Almedha is his wife, not sister.

3- I don't know, it might just be me, but Pelleas just doesn't seem like Soren's kind of guy. I imagine if they talked more in the games, his behavior towards him would probably be sort of like Sothe's behavior towards Pelleas when he first met him, more cold and uncaring, disrespectful, etc., etc.

4- Yes, Pelleas is adopted- it's almost exactly like the two (Almedha and Rajaion) are his real parents, because they have had him since birth. Why did I choose to make him adopted? Because he has blue hair. That makes sense in the game, when Ashnard (who has blue hair) is his father, (well, he's not his ACTUAL father, but like Izuka said, Pelleas was an orphan that could pass as Ashnard's child.) but not when one your parents has black hair, and the other has green hair. If you're wondering why Soren has black hair, let's just say that he inherited it through his grandmother. (As is said later on in this chapter, Dheginsea is his grandfather, and since we never see his wife, we can just say that she had black hair, and it was a recessive trait in Kurth or something.)

5- As you know, Hammerne is a staff that repairs weapons. Well, in this story, it is a company that repairs EVERYTHING. (clever use of hammerne, no?) As you can imagine, the CEO of a company like that would make a TON of money. (more then likely over 200,000 dollars a year.)

6- Since Dheginsea is not a laguz in this, as it is modern day all-human AU, this a gigantic exaggeration, but he's still ancient (maybe 120)


	15. Reading With Real Emotion

**Author's Note: Hello readers! I am back, and I brought an old friend with me- the plot! And thus begins the plot filled super exciting month of December! Well... in the story- that's not for another few weeks in real life. Anyways, without further ado, enjoy the plot's glorious return!  
**

Chapter: 15  
Chapter Title: Reading With Real Emotion

Lucia Katti, at least for today, had opted to go to the library during study hall- it was reading day anyway, and at least in the library she'd be able to do some real work, with more then one of the many boring old books laying about a classroom there. She walked down the stairs and through a set of double doors, cutting across the gym to get to the library instead of walking all the way around the school.

She walked through, seeing the whole gym of the school. One on wall there was a ton of different banners showing awards at sports, and on the other, snapshots of different sporting events. The far left was a picture of Boyd playing football, making a field goal kick at 59 yards. To the right of that was Mia Astra, who was currently a sophomore, as well as the best soccer player on the team. It was rare that a freshman or sophomore got any credit compared to the seniors on the team, but Mia was the exception- she held the all time school record of juggling the ball for 6 minutes straight, and was probably the best soccer player the school had ever seen. In the picture, she was doing a rainbow trick to get the ball past the defense. The poster to the right of that was Mia following up her trick by scoring a goal. To the right of that was Ike making a slam dunk at basketball. While basketball was his specialty, Ike also excelled at football. The posters continued down one line, each one showing a different person's athletic prowess.

Lucia didn't generally think of things like this in depth, yes, she supported her school sports teams, but she didn't participate in much at all. However, ever since her recent incidents with Soren, she had been thinking of EVERYTHING in depth. She couldn't even help it anymore. She didn't really mind it, either, but the sudden ordeals with her four year crush had turn her life upside down.

As she entered the library, the thoughts of her raven-haired crush still in her mind, her jaw dropped. Soren was sitting down at the table reserved for work. The goes of fate would have it that she would end up in an awkward situation with him. However nervously, she walked over to the table and sat down.

The situation was, despite Lucia's hopes that it would not be, extremely awkward. She should've realized it was inevitable. The two exchanged stuttering greetings to each other before going back to work. As they did so, they both stole glances at the other on occasion- every once and a while their eyes would meet, and they would both lightly blush and look away.

To some observers, this would seem normal- however, to others, it was enraging.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" The emerald haired girl said while observing the two from behind a bookshelf.

"Elincia, calm down!" Her boyfriend said to her, crouching down beside her.

"Okay, okay, it's just... RGH, this makes me mad! They're just sitting there!"

"... and?"

"They're supposed to be on the table making out by now, or at least something of the sort!"

"They don't even know they like each other!"

"You said at the café that a desire to passionately make out with Lucia overwhelms Soren every time he sees her!"

"I was just teasing him! I thought we established that!"

"Ike, do you have any idea how hard it was to make sure they were both here at this time?"

"I don't know why you're even trying!"

"Just say yes or no!"

"Okay, okay, no."

"Then SHUT UP!"

"Geez Elincia..."

"I go out of my way to make preparations like this, and what do they do? Throw my plans into the mud and jump on them laughing-"

"Um... Elincia?"

"But, wait, no, they aren't even laughing! Do you know why? Do you know-"

"Elincia?"

"-why? Because they aren't even a couple! And why aren't they a couple? Who knows, just do-"

"Hey! Elincia!"

"-it, yes, destroy my plans! I'm totally not doing a favor, making both of you the couple you always dreamed would occur, I-"

"ELINCIA!"

"Yeah?"

"Calm. Down. It didn't work, okay? It's not like you can FORCE them to kiss."

The emerald haired girl grew an evil smile.

"Oh no... I don't like where this is going, please Elincia, listen to reason, you've got t-"

"Shut up, shut up! I've got an EXCELLENT plan!"

"I'm scared now."

"Come on, Ike."

"Elincia, I told Mr. Alondite (1) I'd be back in ten minutes!"

"Well, too bad!" Elincia replied, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him off.

"Elincia!"

**Author's Note: Ah ha, and we see that Ike and Elincia are playing matchmaker! How's THAT for plot progress? WHAT? Not good enough for you! Bah! Well, I'll have you know that this chapter is arguably the chapter in which the least plot progress is made out of ALL the December chapters! So there! If you're still not satisfied, well just you wait until chapter 18! You and your judgement do not deserve a friendly goodbye, I don't care how long I made you wait! Good riddance, you filthy critic! (I'm kidding. I love all my readers dearly- it's a joke. Please keep reading, okay? See you next week!)  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Yeah, not many footnotes this chapter. Mr Alondite, in case you couldn't guess, is Zelgius. Yeah, obvious, I'm just pointing it out. I have to have SOME kind of footnote for this chapter.


	16. Christmas Scheme

**Author's Note: ****Okay, yeah, I know it's Sunday night, but that's still a part of the weekend, so I'm still on update schedule, even if it's cutting it close. Plus, I have an explanation- my cousins had a spontaneous wedding this weekend. It was great, but it totally threw off my internet schedule. Luckily, I'm still getting this weeks update in. So yeah. Now, the plot continues! Enjoy!****  
**

Chapter: 16  
Chapter Title: Christmas Scheme

"So, do you object to having a christmas party, Ike?"

"Well, my parents will be kind of surprised that I have to use the manor-"

"Yes or no?"

"Well... No."

"Good. The plan moves along."

"Right, so how exactly is this going to work, Elincia?"

"Come on, Ranulf. I've already explained this. You get the fishing rod, Ike controls the spotlight, and then Boyd, Stefan, and Tibarn prevent them from escaping." (1)

"You really thought this out, didn't you?"

"Well, I've decided that since I'm going to play the matchmaker, I might as well do it properly."

"You mean invent evil and elaborate schemes to subject them to?"

"Well yeah. What good matchmaker doesn't use some sort of complex trickery?"

"Point."

"So. Is everybody okay with the plan?"

"Yeah."

"I'm game."

"We're all good."

"Okay, then the last thing we need to do is get them to the party."

"So you mean pass out invitations?"

"Well, obviously we need to invite the whole school. It's going to be an awesome christmas party. All we need to do extra is make sure that both Soren and Lucia will come."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"Ike, what date do you think we should have the party on?"

"Tibarn, I don't get to choose any of this. Elincia is kind of in control here."

"What are you talking about, it's your house!"

"Yeah, she does this a lot. You get used to it. It's not like I don't say anything, but more or less just she can't hear me while she's running her mouth like that."

"In one ear and out the other, huh?"

"Precisely."

"Hey, Ike."

"Yes Elincia?"

"The party is Christmas day- as for time... sunset to sunrise sound good?"

"Yeah, sure. My mom won't be home, and my dad can sleep through anything, so he won't care."

"Good then."

Ike turned back to Tibarn.

"Party is Christmas day, su-"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard. I was wrong. Happy now?"

"Yes I a-"

Ike was cut off by a massive 'BOOM!'

"WOAH! Elincia, where on earth did you get all these!" He shouted, staring at the three-foot tall, four-foot wide pile of fliers for the party now on the table.

Tibarn, Boyd, Stefan, and Ranulf were all in shock as well.

"My purse. Why?"

Ike's jaw dropped to the floor when he realized all of the fliers were miraculously stored in her average emerald purse, which was one tenth the size of the pile she had just dumped onto the lunch table.

"Wait a second... how did she get those? We just now planned a date and time for the party." Stefan pointed out.

And everybody else joined Ike in his state of shock.

The all looked at Elincia, who was skipping over to the stand in the lunchroom to buy a snack or two.

"So... should we pass them out?"

"Yeah, sure. Elincia left us a bucket of some kind of liquid adhesive and a paintbrush along with all of this."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Ranulf replied, showing the rest of the group the bucket he had just mentioned.

"Wow. Just wow." Said Stefan.

"Maybe we should go put up the fliers before she comes back and gets mad."

"Nose goes for carrying the pile!" Ranulf shouted.

Hands flew up, and Tibarn was left eating pizza.

"What, huh? Oh, dang it! I was eating!"

"Big surprise." Ranulf said sarcastically

"Dibs on carrying the bucket!" Stefan called out.

"And we have to put up the posters." Boyd said to Ike and Ranulf.

"Okay, let's just go."

"Me and my insane girlfriend..." Ike said as he walked off with his friends.

"Can't go two months without coming up with a crazy scheme." Stefan added to his comment as they walked off.

**Author's Note: Yeah, this chapter is a kind of a shorter one. But there was plot progress, so it's okay, right? And be thankful it's not as short as chapter 3, at least. Anyways, I'll see you next week, where the plot continues to progress.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Elincia's plan will make a lot more sense when chapter 18 is up. But for the time being, I should explain Boyd, Stefan, Tibarn, and Ranulf. I mentioned Ranulf is a sort of important minor character in a footnote back in chapter 3. Well, he's one of Ike's friends. Soren is Ike's best friend, but the rest of the rest of his friends are these four. Boyd, as I've mentioned in the story before, is an athlete like Ike. Ranulf was given a personality in his physical appearance back in chapter 3, but in case you couldn't tell, he's very hyper. Stefan is the normal guy in the group, being like the opposite of Ranulf, calm and laid back. Lastly, Tibarn is an incredibly strong athlete, known around the school for his massive muscles and weight lifting records. (he's pretty much ripped, just like in the actual game.). In Ike's group, however, he is more known for his massive appetite. Personality wise, Tibarn is pretty much exactly how he is in the game.**  
**


	17. A Harmless Invitation

**Author's Note: Well, we're nearing the end of December (in the story), meaning chapter will make it's grand appearance next week! This chapter is actually a filler, so I'm sorry to say our plot progress streak has come to a close, but believe me when I say chapter 18 will MORE then make up for it.**

Chapter: 17  
Chapter Title: A Harmless Invitation

Lucia Katti sat in her queen bed, surfing the internet with her father's laptop computer.

She was about to open up her blog page, when there was a quick beeping sound.

She clicked the new tab, and found it was a lifetome (1) notification.

_'Forgot to log out. Oh well, I'll just check this quick before I close the page.'_

She clicked on it, and it took her to Nephenee's new status.

"Just got back from a date with Boyd. He is an INCREDIBLE kisser."

It only had a few simple comments, such as 'Zihark is better' from Jill, and 'I like muffins' from Elincia.

Normally she'd just move on with whatever she was doing without a second thought, but the instant she had read the status, the image of her ebon haired love re-appeared in her brain.

Maybe she could get listen to music- that should clear her mind.

She opened iTunes (2) and went to search songs, but quickly found herself mindlessly listening to a list of the 'Top 100 Love Songs'.

Every time she laid eyes on him, her heart burned with desire.

She saw him on a daily basis, and while she had liked him since, well, forever, he had completely flooded her life over the past few months.

She looked over to her nightstand.

Laying on top of it was the flier for Ike's spontaneous christmas party.

She was, solely because of Elincia, obligated to go.

But Soren would be there too.

She was bound to run into him, there were just so many possible things that could go wrong.

Even if she stayed clear of him during the party, she had to get through a whole entire second semester with his face's image frozen in her brain.

_'Calm down Lucia, clam down. You know what? I'll just go to bed. What I really need is a good night's sleep.'_

She closed the laptop and put it on her nightstand with the flier_._

Why was she so worried? It was just a harmless invitation, right?

~*~*~* **In a similar time and place...** *~*~*~

The ebon haired young man sat in his office chair, feet propped up on his desk, reading as usual.

He had, at this point in time, all but given up on his trilogy of anima magic books, and currently found himself reading a copy of a book he had recently got in the mail from an old series subscription_._

He then snapped the book shut, tossing it a corner of the desk.

Sadly, he found himself doing that quite often these days.

He pushed off the desk with his feet, rolling the chair back, and then spun around in the chair to look at his bookshelves.

His eyes skimmed over the shelves, and after flipping through a few books, he rolled over to his nightstand.

Moving his adept laptop (3) to the side and looking past his lamp, he reached the set of books he always kept on hand.

He never really knew what was there, and always kept them handy.

_Rivals Collide, Just Cause, Blood Contract, Rebirth, _all sorts of novels. (4)

Then he ran into a yearbook with a bookmark.

His curiosity rising, he opened it to the marked page, and saw Lucia Katti's pure blue orbs staring right at him.

"Oh, dang it, just when I got it out of my head, too!" He shouted out loud.

"Is everything okay, Soren?" His mother asked, popping her head through his doorway.

"No, no... it's fine." He said, calming down.

"But, you just-"

"I said it's fine."

"If you're sure..."

He sighed. He meant what he said.

He had finally had her out of his head, but now she returned.

He couldn't possibly avoid her, no matter how hard he tried.

He just couldn't wait for college.

And he'd see her at the party too, and everything would go wrong.

_Just clear your mind... the party's fine. It's just a harmless invitation, right?_

**Author's Note: Just wait until next week. You'll love it. That is all I have to say.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Lifetome is the FE facebook.

2- I can't come up with equivalents for EVERYTHING, okay?

3- I always thought the symbol for adept would make a cool logo. But anyways, this is a very good laptop, pretty much the equivalent of a MacBook pro. (I swear, if I get anyway feedback about Mac VS PC, terrible things will happen. I prefer mac. Other people prefer PC. Just don't talk about it. Okay? Okay.)

4- If I have any oblivious readers, or maybe just ones who haven't played RD, these novels, are, in fact, chapters in radiant dawn. Some of my favorite chapters, at that.


	18. Fate On Christmas

**Author's Note: At long last, the time has come! This is, in my honest opinion, the best chapter yet. Enjoy.  
**

Chapter: 18  
Chapter Title: Fate On Christmas

"Elincia, you're sure all this is necessary?"

"These two lovebirds are never going to be together if we don't do something about it!"

"Yeah yeah yeah. I understand WHY you're doing this, but is all of THIS really necessary?"

"I don't see anything abnormal."

"You've got a map of the house, a telescope, and three whole boxes of mistletoe!"

"It's totally necessary!"

"Fine... but I'm telling you-"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Ike went down the stairs to answer the door, and found his sister Mist had beaten him too it. The door stood open, and Ranulf, Boyd, Tibarn, and Stefan were all there.

"Hey guys."

"There you are! These are YOUR friends, Ike." His sister said.

"You're the one who wanted to be the official door-answering person."

"Yeah, but if they're going to show up early, YOU should answer the door. I'm the door opener during the party."

"I was going to. Why do you think I'm down here?"

His sister opened her mouth, but made no sound, showing a look of defeat.

"Come on in guys."

Ike led the group from the doorway out into the center of the main room.

"Nice Ike, you really cleaned the place up!" Stefan commented.

"Well, it is a party. So I do want it to look nice."

"Yeah... anyways, where's Elincia?" Ranulf asked.

"Oh, she's upstairs on lookout."

"Lookout?"

"Yeah, she has a telescope so she'll be able to see Lucia arriving from a distance. You know her elaborate plan."

"Oh, yeah."

"So, what should we-"

"Ike!"

"Hm? Oh, hi Elincia." He said to his girlfriend, who stood on the banister.

"Ike, you need to be up here!"

"Are you crazy? I can't leave Tibarn down here with the food!"

"I'd probably just eat all the steaks, ribs, pizza and sub sandwiches. Oh, and I'd drink all the coke too."

"Yeah, I rest my case."

"Well, just bring everybody up!"

"Okay sure, I- wait a second. Speaking of everybody, where's Reyson?"

"Oh, he didn't want to come. He doesn't do well in crowds." Tibarn replied.

"Well, I guess you know him best- he is your cousin."

"Come upstairs!"

"Okay, okay. Let's go guys."

Ike and his group of friends walked up the stairs that spiraled around the outer edge of the circular main room up to the balcony.

"So, you told Lucia the party starts an hour later then it actually does?"

"Of course. It's my plan, and I've made sure everything's going to work."

"Always on top of things, eh, Elincia?"

"When they interest me, yes."

"So, the party doesn't start for another half hour- what do you guys want to do?"

Stefan pulled some cards out of his pocket

"Euchre anybody?"

"Stefan, there are five people here. Six if you count Elincia."

"Oh, okay then. How about blackjack?"

"Why don't we just play poker?" suggested Boyd

"Texas hold em'?"

"What else?"

"Good enough." Stefan replied, dealing out the cards as the group pulled up chairs to a small table.

The party began in about half an hour, a huge amount of people, pretty much the whole school (with the notable exception of Micaiah and Sanaki rudol) showing up. The dance was lively, Vika Shriek serving as a star dancer, with Volug Howl acting as DJ.

Disco balls ran for some songs, strobe lights for others, and huge crowds all the time.

Like a student-run homecoming dance around a gigantic christmas tree, everybody was having a great time.

But things were about to get even more interesting.

Ike's cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ike!"

"Elincia? Why would you call me on the phone? I'm just at the food table!"

"Lucia is here!"

"I thought you told her the party started an hour later then the time on the flier!"

"I did, it's been an hour!"

"Really?"

"Yes, now get Soren to answer the door so we can do this!"

"Okay, okay!"

"Hurry up!"

"Right."

Ike shut his phone and quickly gathered his friends. He sent Stefan, Tibarn, and Boyd off to complete their job, and then found Soren talking with Aran and Zihark as he enjoyed a class of Kilvan red wine.

"Yeah, college class aren't the best, ESPECIALLY when you've got a teacher that's so creepy."

"I totally get where you're coming from. Oh, by the way, do you know when the jazz band concert is?"

"Hm? I think it's... uh... no."

"Dang. How about you, Aran?"

"Uh... sorry, no dates come to mind. I probably have it written down somewhere."

"Oh, okay. Can you email me the date? I've got to get that in my schedule before we get back to school."

"Yeah, sure thing."

"Hey, Soren."

"Something the matter, Ike?"

"Um, not really. I just need you to get the door here."

"Hm? Why?"

"Because Mist isn't there, and I need to do something. Do you mind?"

"Nah, I got it covered. Aran, if Jill comes by, don't let Zihark give her my seat." He said as he walked off.

"No problem."

The ebon-haired young man pushed his way through the social crowd and to the door, unknowingly being followed by Tibarn, Stefan, and Boyd. Ike had brought Ranulf up the stairs, and everything was ready. Soren opened the door, and Ike cut the music and put the spotlight on him as Lucia walked in the doorway.

The change in scenery caught Soren off guard fast.

"Ike, what is the meaning of thi-"

His jaw dropped as he looked up to the balcony. He saw Ranulf cast a fishing line over the rail, a small plant of mistletoe on the end now dangling above the pair. He looked around. All of the guests had turned their attention to Soren and Lucia, and he saw Ike and Elincia smirking on the stairs, looking down at him.

"Ike... No..."

"Oh yes, Soren, oh yes."

And with that, the crowd made a huge "Oooooooo" sound, everybody amused.

Lucia was equally nervous when she saw the mistleoe herself, if not more so.

It was at this time that the rest of the group completed their job.

Stefan quickly shut the door behind Lucia, and Boyd and Tibarn blocked the routes of escape, Stefan quickly joining them. (1)

The crowd laughed, and then one person began to chant.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

The chant grew, Soren looking around nervously, sweat dripping down from his forehead. Then, he looked at Lucia.

It was suddenly as if the noise vanished, and the two were in a separate dimension, ruby and azure eyes equally lost in each other.

The two came closer together, Soren's hands rested on her hips, and Lucia's rested on his shoulders.

The chant became louder and louder as they inched closer, but neither Soren or Lucia could hear it at all.

Each of the pair leapt into the other, their mouths meeting.

The crowd cheered ridiculously loud.

Lucia wrapped her arms around the back of Soren's neck, tightly holding onto him. Soren ran his hands across Lucia's back and through her long, bright blue hair.

The kiss lasted roughly ten seconds, and the two parted for air.

"Well, what are you doing! Make way for the new couple!" Elincia shouted, and the crowd formed a pathway to the center of the dance floor.

Ranulf reeled the fishing rod in, and Ike turned on the disco ball and music up to full.

Lucia looked back at Soren, and then took his hand a dragged him out to the dance floor faster then his feet could carry him.

Ike and Elincia, pleased with their successful operation, joined the dancing crowd.

And while all of the couples would dance until they were ready to pass out, not one couple would dance as well and as thoroughly as the newest one.

**Author's Note: Well, was it great or what? About time it happened, huh? Well, I hope you liked it, because it was awesome to write. Please review and continue to read, and I'll see you next week!  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- NOW Elincia's plan makes sense, right?


	19. Working Things Out

**Author's Note: Once again, it's time for the weekly update of AHSLC-TS! In the last update, couples were established, and in this chapter, you guys get more of the pairing! Yay Soren/Lucia!  
**

Chapter: 19  
Chapter Title: Working Things Out

Soren Calibur typically stayed in his room, either doing homework or reading, but he currently found himself with an awful lot a free time.

Christmas break was over, and yet his classes had yet to start handing out homework again.

Was it unusual? To be sure.

Did he mind? Not at all.

His parents were currently both out, Ena out shopping and Kurthnaga at work.

So, he had decided to do something that had been on his mind for a while.

Getting up off of his navy blue queen bed, he looked around his room a little.

He had cherry wood bookshelves, and a closet. His nightstand had more books on it, and a lamp and his laptop.

He walked out of his door and down the stairs, then picked up the living room's home phone.

He went into the kitchen, grabbed the school directory, and then looked up the Kattis.

"Hmm... 646-7542."

He said to himself while dialing the number.

He threw himself onto the couch, and waited for somebody to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Soren Calibur, calling for-"

"Soren, it's me."

"Oh. Hi Lucia."

"How are you doing?"

"Good. You?"

"Fantastic!"

"Well, I called because, well... maybe we should work things out."

"Well, I'd say there isn't much to work out, _boyfriend_."

"No beating around the bush, hm?"

"What do I have to gain from waiting?"

"Well then, is this official?"

"Yeah, you know, if you're okay with that."

"Definitely, _girlfriend._"

"I have waited for this for so long!"

"But really, how did this not come up before. You were never this direct."

"Well, I was terribly shy. But, we've already had a kiss, and that was a great way to break the ice."

"Yeah, that was nice."

"Absolutely wonderful."

"Okay, yeah."

"So, is that all?"

"I guess so. Wow, just... so many years, leading up to this in just two weeks."

"Believe me, I definitely wanted it to happen sooner."

"Well, I suppose we're dating now."

"What sounds good for a first?"

"How about Kilvan Palace?"

"I've never been there- isn't it expensive?"

"Well, yeah. I'm certainly not rich like Ike, but I've got enough to pay for it."

"If you're sure."

"Well, I'll pick you up Friday at seven. Sound good to you, Lucia?"

"Looking forward to it."

"Wonderful. I'll see you around."

"You too Soren. Bye."

"Bye."

He hung up.

The world was a crazy place.

Events had come and gone so quickly.

And out of the whole ordeal, Soren Calibur and Lucia Katti were reborn as a couple.

**Author's Note: So yeah. This is just a bit of a short filler before Soren and Lucia become a REAL couple. Next chapter will be their first actual date. So, there's something to look forward too. Anyways, I'll see you next week.  
**

**Footnotes:**

-NONE-


	20. Give It A Try

**Author's Note: ****We're officially halfway done with the actual story. (chapters 41 and 42 are the epilogue and credits.) Anyways, as I said last week, this is Soren and Lucia's official first date. I hope it's enjoyable.****  
**

Chapter: 20  
Chapter Title: First Date- Give It A Try

Lucia Katti currently sat in her room, applying the last bit of her make up, a pale blue eyeshadow.

She accented the details of her face, and then, using special creams, made her skin appear flawless.

She parted her cerulean hair, and let it hang down at it's natural length, to about her waist.

She checked herself in the mirror.

She was wearing her "special occasion" outfit. It was a form fitting elegant top shirt that she wore. It had a low neck line that was held together by a strap. The top was half sleeveless shirt, half cloak, as it had large coat tails as a part of it. She wore a piece of cloth around her waist, also held there by a strap, which served as a belt. She was also clad in pinkish red tights and undersleeves, and white sleeves and thigh length boots that went on top of them.

To complete her look, she folded the high collar of her top down, and put on a golden necklace which had an amethyst hanging from it. (1)

As soon as she fastened the necklace, the doorbell rang.

Using two fingers, she brushed her hair out of her right eye, (2) and then hurried down the stairs.

She opened the door, and saw Soren standing outside.

He was wearing a plain back t-shirt with his mage jacket over that, a simple form-fitting dark navy blue jacket with a white lining.

He was wearing black dress pants to match his shirt, and was wearing a more loose fitting white coat with intricate black designs on the shoulder areas on top of everything else. (3)

His raven hair was tied back in it's usual ponytail, and his natural brilliant ruby eyes looked right at her, the combined look of everything he was wearing and his handsome face stunning her.

He was the first to speak.

"Lucia... you look... breath taking..."

"T-Thanks..." She said, blushing.

"Should we go?"

"Yeah. Hang on."

"Dad, Soren's here!"

"Okay, be back before midnight!"

"I will, bye!"

"Have a good time!"

He offered his arm to her, and she took it, shutting the door behind her as the two walked out to Soren's silver convertible.

The roof was already up, because of the snow and chilly winter weather.

Soren opened her door for her, and then closed it after she got in. He walked around to his side, and climbed into the driver's seat.

He started up the vehicle, and turned on the heat, and drove off.

The car ride went relatively smoothly, and they had arrived at Kilvan Palace in no time.

Soren once again offered his arm to Lucia, and the two walked out of the parking lot and down the stairs.

One of the many great things about the fancy restaurant was it's look. They walked down a rock trail that was on a ledge.

Beneath the ledge they walked on, roughly a ten or fifteen foot drop, was a gorgeous blue lake. (4)

The ledge, however, was fenced in, so it was all simply beauty, with no danger.

The two walked all the way around the trail to the front steps of the facility, and walked in.

"Ahh, Soren. I see you have yourself a girlfriend."

"I certainly do, Seeker." (5)

"I have a reservation for eight, table for two. It'll be under 'Calibur'"

"Why, yes you do. Come this way."

"Of course."

Seeker led them deep into the restaurant. The place was entirely carpeted in indigo, (6) the wood was all painted black, there were dimly lit crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling every twenty or so feet, and each of the black tables had a potted bright green fern in it's center.

He led them to their table, and moved the fern out of the way.

"These are just for decoration. I'll move it of the way so you lovebirds can see each other properly." He said, placing it on a shelf that was on a wooden pillar next to their table.

Soren and Lucia sat down, Soren hanging his large coat on the back of his chair.

"I'll be back to take your food orders in a bit, but, for now, can I get you anything to drink?" He said, handing them each a menu.

"Hmm... Can I get a raspberry italian soda?" Lucia asked.

"Certainly. And you, Soren?"

"A glass of Kilvan wine." Soren said, reminding Lucia of his age. (7)

"Fine choice, one of our specialties. I'll be right back."

He left the two sitting there.

"So, you're eighteen?"

"Yeah. Are you seventeen yet?"

"Yeah, my birthday is in July."

"Oh, so you're one the older people in your grade?"

"Mm Hm. When did you turn eighteen?"

"December 14th."

"Oh. Is alcohol good?" She curiously questioned.

"I think it tastes fine. Really depends on the beverage. I haven't gotten drunk yet, not sure if I ever will, but I've developed a liking for the wines. The kilvan wine here is very good as well."

"I might try some when I turn eighteen."

"I think you'll like it."

"Hopefully. So, what are you going to order?"

"Probably the spinach bread. You?"

"Fettuccine Alfredo."

"Hm. Sounds good. How about desert?"

"I LOVE creme brulee."

"So do I. That's what I was going to get."

"We have so much in common!"

"I know, it's great. Too think we've just been hiding all these years."

"Yeah."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"Since you love the same food I do, there's no doubt I've got to take you here for breakfast sometime."

"How come?"

"Three words. French toast casserole."

"What's that?"

"Mixed french bread with sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, honey, and maple syrup, all with a praline topping."

"That sounds delicious!"

"It is."

"Truly. Are we enjoying ourselves?" Seeker said, returning.

"Why, yes we are."

"Good to hear. Anyways, I'm back to take orders."

"Fettuccine Alfredo for Lucia, and Spinach Bread for me."

"Fettuccine pasta tossed with herbs, parmesan and butter, with a nice helping of alfredo sauce mixed in, and Toasted French Bread filled with mozzarella cheese, sautéed spinach and grated romano cheese, brushed with garlic butter and served with Ranch dressing for dipping. Excellent choices. I'll be back with that."

"He has a way with words."

"Certainly does. At least enough to get Vika as his girlfriend."

"Wow. That can't be easy."

"Yes, they've got a healthy relationship though."

"Vika's beautiful. I wished I looked like her."

"Yes, Seeker certainly is a lucky guy. But not as lucky as me."

"You mean it?"

"You're beautiful, Lucia. More in my eyes then Vika will ever be."

"Thanks."

"Of course. You deserve a compliment like that."

Soren was a wonderful boyfriend. He loved Lucia for who she was. Lucia hadn't had too many boyfriends in the past, but she had had enough to know that they all paled in comparison to him.

A meal with him was absolutely fascinating. He was very nice, and conversation was very pleasant. They food was delicious.

They had the creme brulee they both loved, sharing with each other.

The meal couldn't have been long enough.

It had already drawn to a close.

Lucia and Soren stood up, and Soren put his coat back on.

Their ride back home was also very pleasant, and they were a happy couple together.

Soren pulled up into Lucia's driveway, and got out to go open her door for her.

"Lucia, would you mind sharing a kiss with me?"

"Not at all."

Soren put an arm around her back, and used his other hand to lift her chin.

Lucia draped her arms around his neck, and stood on her tiptoes as Soren bent down, their faces drawing nearer. (8)

Their lips met, and they held each other tightly. Their bliss lasted for about ten seconds before they parted.

"I would re-live the worst moments of my life a thousand times over to be with you forever."

"And you say seeker has a way with words. You're like a poet, Soren."

"Thank you, and goodnight."

"Bye."

Soren watched Lucia as she walked back up to the door and stepped inside, then he got in his car and drove off.

**Author's Note: Yeah, this chapter is a kind of a shorter one. But there was plot progress, so it's okay, right? And be thankful it's not as short as chapter 3, at least. Anyways, I'll see you next week, where the plot continues to progress.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- I mentioned this back in chapter 12 as well, but this is Lucia's attire from Radiant Dawn. Since this is a modern day fic, characters generally wear normal clothes, but Lucia's radiant dawn clothes seem very fitting for a special occasion. I looked at her pre-haircut RD portrait on the fire emblem wiki for details.

2- Interesting bit of trivia- Lucia's hair is always covering her left eye, in both PoR and RD.

3- This look is based on Soren's archsage appearance in Radiant Dawn. It's not exactly the same, since he's wearing normal pants and a shirt, and not robes, but it is based off of it.

4- "Kilvan Palace", interestingly enough, bears a striking resemblance to the actual castle kilvas. Yes, that is what the restaurant is based on, and in the game, castle kilvas is in a canyon. So I made it similar to that in this way. For those who don't remember castle kilvas, here is what it looks like- .com/wiki/Kilvas

5- You may or may not remember him. Seeker is a raven laguz platoon commander who serves under Naesala. He was in chapter 12 of PoR, when the raven's attack Nasir's ship.

6- There are a lot of ways to think of the color indigo, in my opinion. In this case, think of the color of that bar at the top of the screen. The one that says " - unleash your imagination". Yeah, that's the color of the carpet in that restaurant.

7- I always assumed the legal drinking age in Tellius was 18. I don't think they every mentioned it in the games, but if it's anything higher, it's 18 for this story.

8- I do believe I've talked about this before, but in case I haven't- Soren obviously isn't branded, since these characters are all human, no beorc or laguz. However, this means that he does NOT age slower then others. He looks perfectly normal for his age, meaning he does not appear to be fourteen. Rather, he's about Ike's height. He's still a little bit shorter then him, but he is certainly taller then Lucia, unlike in the actual games.**  
**


	21. Mutual Hatred

**Author's Note: So, Soren and Lucia are together now... what could I possibly do for 20 more chapters? You'll see, if you read on!  
**

Chapter: 21  
Chapter Title: Mutual Hatred

He always had naturally keen eyes.

He could pick out the smallest details in any image, see the smallest hints in any view.

He had natural 20/20 vision, of course, to compliment all of his abilities.

He could even see well in the dark! (1)

Of course, one did not need an acute sense of vision to see two people making out with a magnificent passion.

A passion that terribly disgusted the onlooker, Janaff Insight.

He could not hear what they were saying, no, they were all the way down the hall. The acute sense of hearing and detection of pretty much anything were all abilities of his step brother, Ulki Vigilance. (2)

Even though he could not hear them, his excellent eyes could read their lips from that distance with incredible ease.

"Lucia, I love you."

"I love you to, Soren."

They kissed again. She draped her arms around his neck and they held to their partner tightly.

That stuck-up disgusting Soren Calibur ran his hands all over the back of the woman that should be _his._

He always acted friendly to Lucia, just saying he was fine with friendship.

But his feelings were only softened around her because he loved her.

When he just saw the two, and was not around the object of his affection, his true hatred for anybody who was with Lucia other then him would shine.

Yet he gazed on, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of Lucia loving the kissing of another man, far from him and uncaring.

Truly a revolting sight, to see that black haired smart alec sully Lucia's mouth, holding her perfect body to his and running his hands through her cerulean hair.

"Now aren't you displeased with the way things are?"

He spun around, his concentration breaking.

"Micaiah Rudol?"

"Yes, that's me."

"How did you-"

"Know what you were thinking? Yes, we all have our talents. You and your vision, or your bother and his hearing, or... Soren and his vast knowledge? Yes, that's right, you're trying not to scowl. But, come now, you don't hate Soren for being Soren, you hate him because you love Lucia."

"And? That doesn't mean I don't hate him."

"True. Regardless, my special talent is a natural ability to read others. I'm a people person. I simply know."

"Good for you. So, did you want to talk to me about something?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"What?"

"Well, you see, I'm in a bit of a predicament."

"You want me to help you?"

"Simply put, yes."

"Why me?"

"Because you can help me. I can't think of many others that can."

"So what's the situation?"

"Back when I was a simple freshman, I had an incredible boyfriend."

"Um..."

"He had wonderfully toned muscles, a handsome face, and he was an amazing kisser."

"How does this-"

"His name was Ike Urvan."

"Uh... what?"

"Yes, I was once Ike's girlfriend, but he broke up with me in Sophomore year, after we had been together over a year, and had shared so many incredible moments together. I had a great life, but he tore it to shreds."

"Sure... that's not good for you, but I can't change the past or anything. Believe me, if I could-"

He gestured with eyes to Soren and Lucia talking at their lockers.

"-I would."

"You don't need to change the past for me, you need to change the present for us."

"Where are you going with this?"

"You hate Soren, I hate Ike."

"Yeah, so where are you-"

"I also hate Elincia, Ike's current girlfriend. That's only natural. Do you see the connection? We both hate the partner of the person we love."

"I thought you hated Ike."

"Well, yes, but that's only because he's an absolute jerk who denies me for the wonderful person I am and continues to date Elincia. I wouldn't hate him if he saw the light and came back to ME."

"I guess so, but that only means we have things in common. How does that change anything?"

"It means you and I are in the same type of situation. What I'm saying is if you fix my problem, I'll fix yours."

"If you can do that... why haven't you fixed your own problems?"

"Do you have any sense of logic? If I ruined Elincia's life, Ike would know it was me. I'd never get him."

"So you can ruin Soren's life?"

"Well, I doubt you'd want me to do that."

"Wha-"

"It's complicated. I COULD ruin Soren's life, but I won't. Again, Ike would know it was me, I'd never get him. All I need to do is make Soren stop loving Lucia. Before you ask 'couldn't you just make Ike stop loving Elincia?' trust me, I've tried. It's impossible. So, all you need to do is break Ike and Elincia up. You're a third party, and I assume you'll have better luck then me."

"Okay..."

"If you do this, then I can break Soren and Lucia up with ease."

"Deal."

He extended his arm, and shook the hand of the Rudol girl.

**Author's Note: HA HA! And you probably thought Janaff was an insignificant character who made his debut in a filler chapter and would never appear again!  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- He does have plus 5 vision in fog of war.

2- The two are now step brothers just to justify Ulki having a different last name then him.


	22. Confused Conscience

**Author's Note: Well, I didn't update at all last week, and I apologize for that. If you are an actual reader of mine and you check out my profile from time to time, you know what the situation is. If not, let me explain. Over this break I have from school, I have temporarily put aside the weekly update schedule. I intended to update a lot over this break, two to three times a week. That obviously didn't work out. I'm not 100% sure what happened, but I hope to be able to keep my promises this week, and get in two or three updates. Regardless of whether or do or not, I at least have updated once. Whether or not this is the only update for the week, I hope you enjoy it.  
**

Chapter: 22  
Chapter Title: Confused Conscience

Life was not like a box of chocolates. (1)

Yes, you never knew what you were going to get, but there were some major differences.

In a box of chocolates, you knew some things to begin with.

You knew that there were chocolates in the box, and you also knew that whatever was inside tasted good.

There was a much wider range of things that you didn't know about in life, many of them bad.

Additionally, there were many more properties of life then those of a box of chocolates.

In life, you could make an incredible amount of choices, and every choice in life had consequences.

Janaff's Insight's most recent important decision left him stuck in the position of trying to break up Ike Urvan and Elincia Amiti.

It wasn't going to be easy, because Janaff had a heart.

He had loved Lucia for so long, and an incredible rage had been born in him when Soren won their race before it began.

The rage was present when he saw Lucia with Soren, but seeing Ike with Elincia was much different.

He looked on from a distance, as the two talked.

School had ended for the day, and everybody was leaving, but his keen eyes saw the pair through the crowd.

It was like he could see their love for each other.

When somebody was with the one _you_ loved, you didn't care how they felt, but just seeing a couple was entirely another story.

Was he truly willing to do this? Shatter another relationship for the sake of his own?

Micaiah, his egotistical partner in crime was absolutely willing, but was he?

Was it too late to turn back, could he change the past?

Did he have to face the consequences of his decision?

He had to ask himself these questions.

"Why would you shake on it if you're not willing?"

"Gah!"

Janaff almost fell over in shock as he spun around to see Micaiah Rudol.

"Stop doing that!"

"Stop doing what? Popping out of nowhere or reading your mind?"

"Both!"

"Yeah, that's not going to happen."

"Ugh..."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"What question?"

"You need a better memory."

"Just... tell me the question."

"Why would you shake on it if you're not willing?"

"You and your mind reading... look, I AM willing."

"Oh, now you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"A couple seconds ago you were thinking about whether or not you were willing. Have you made a decision that fast? No. So stop lying."

"Okay, okay. Look, I shook on it because I like the end result. I want Soren and Lucia to break up, and it's great if you get what you end up with who you want also."

"You didn't consider what you'd have to do to get there?"

"No, okay, I didn't!"

"All right then. Let me ask you, could you do it?"

"Well, yes, but I still don't know if I really want to!"

Micaiah thought for a moment.

"Okay then. I'm fairly convinced you'll make the right choice, but in the meantime, ask yourself this- in the end, how desperate are you?"

Janaff opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out.

Micaiah walked away.

He'd have to think about that for a while.

**Author's Note: Okay, yeah, it's not as long as a normal chapter, but it was a nice bit of character development, right? Hopefully you liked it, and I'll also hopefully be able to update more before the week is over. If not, I'll see you after new years!  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- I just assume everybody reading knows this Forrest Gump quote.


	23. Harsh Rumors

**Author's Note: HOLY CRAP! Yeah that's right, I'm back! First of all, I apologize for just vanishing after new years and not coming back. Well... my teachers really decided to raise the bar for second semester. I fell behind in my AP US History class, and catching up has been rough. But, I managed anyway, and school's going just great now. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to regular updates, but again, school's gotten a lot more intense, so weekly might be tough. I'm hoping I'll be able to update weekly, but I'll at least update once every other week. Okay, enough with my rambling, this is, at long last, chapter 23 of _A High School Love Crisis- Tellius Style_.  
**

Chapter: 23  
Chapter Title: Harsh Rumors

Janaff Insight currently sat in his room at his desk, typing up his english paper on his computer.

Then, a quick beep was heard.

_"Email? I must have forgot to close the tab"_ He thought to himself.

He opened up the tab, and saw the chat box open.

He was shocked at the result, and frantically typed while freaking out.

EagleEye12 (1): MICAIAH!

Rudol94 (2): Yes, hello, whatever, we have things to do.

Eagle Eye 12: HOW DID YOU GET MY EMAIL ADDRESS?

Rudol 94: I have my ways.

EagleEye12: No really, I'm concerned here. Could you tell me?

Rudol94: I just asked Reyson. He's my second cousin.

EagleEye12: Okay... but why did you need my email address, honestly, this is all kind of creepy.

Rudol94: I have no romantic interest in you, if you do remember I'm trying to get Ike back. There's no reason for me to stalk you. Anyways, you should probably actually look at your inbox.

Janaff did just that, and saw that Micaiah had in fact sent him an email.

EagleEye12: Oh.

Rudol94: Did you read it?

EagleEye12: Hold on.

He scrolled the mouse over and clicked on the email, and it opened up.

There was no text in the body, and the subject was just "Use this".

However, there was a file attached.

Janaff opened it, and nearly fell out of his chair.

Rudol94: I assume by the momentary silence that you're a little shocked.

EagleEye12: YES. HOW DID YOU DO THIS?

Rudol94: You'd be amazed what photoshop can do with effort.

EagleEye12: You PHOTOSHOPPED THIS ENTIRE THING?

Rudol94: It wasn't easy, but yes.

EagleEye12: What do you want me to do with it?

Rudol94: Spread rumors, obviously. Just print out a copy and put it somewhere in the school.

Janaff didn't know how exactly to respond, and just sat there questioning the action she suggested.

Rudol94: See, you're hesitant again, just based on the fact that you haven't replied. Just do it, okay? Otherwise you're never going to get Lucia.

EagleEye12: Okay.

Rudol94: There we go. I expect to see it posted tomorrow. I recommend the bulletin board by the main office. Roughly 10 copies.

_-Rudol94 is offline. Messages you sent will be delivered when she comes back online- _

~*~*~* The Next Day *~*~*~

Janaff walked down the school's hallways, a pass to the bathroom in his hand.

He stopped in front of the school's primary bulletin board near the front doors, and then checked to make sure nobody was there.

Nobody in sight, and he could hear no footsteps. He'd be fine.

He put his backpack down on the ground, opened it up, and pulled out a folder with 10 laminated pictures inside it.

He took out a plastic bag of ten thumbtacks, and then one by one, he put the pictures up across the bulletin board.

He then zipped his backpack up, and put it back on, looking at his work.

He knew the images weren't real, but nobody would be able to tell. The realism of them was remarkable.

To any average person walking by, they looked exactly like real life pictures of Ike Urvan and Mia Astra holding each other close while they passionately kissed.

**Author's Note: Well there you go. I hope you liked it, and assuming all my readers didn't leave during my absence, I hope all of you are excited for the return of the story's regular updates. Until next time, this is Dark Armadillo. **

**Footnotes:**

1- EagleEye12. The username obviously references Janaff's good eyesight, the 12 coming from the fact that Janaff is a junior, meaning if he was a real world student, he would graduate in 2012.

2- Rudol94. The Rudol bit references her last name, and the 94 would be the year Micaiah was born.


	24. In Rudol's Eyes

**Author's Note: Hello there readers! Sorry this update is a few days late. Hopefully it was worth the wait. In this chapter, we're introduced to a fourth point of view, having already seen the story from the viewpoints of Soren, Lucia, and Janaff. Now, we hear a bit of story directly from our evil little antagonist, Micaiah.  
**

Chapter: 24  
Chapter Title: In Rudol's Eyes

She was a simple girl.

She wore a plain red violet form fitting sleeveless top, and an average pair of black jeans, her feet covered by tan shoes with red laces..

Nothing more on the surface other then the make up that accented her face and golden eyes, and no accessories other then the blue ribbon tied in her silver hair.

The only other thing she had with her was a tan purse, the carried her school things. (1)

As this average girl walked down the high school hallways, very few people could ever guess her thoughts.

She was very happy, and people could easily tell that, but the reason why was something nobody could easily figure out.

This simple girl had a very deceiving exterior, and was not the cute passive girl you would expect from her appearance.

As she lightly walked down the hall, the groups of people whispering rumors made her very delighted.

This apparently cute, funny, happy go lucky young woman had a harsh mind.

The average person hesitated when everyday people stood in the way of their goals, when innocents were there, and they would have to be removed to advance. It's only human to think in such a way.

However, Micaiah Rudol's viewpoint was that one should focus on their goal when trying to achieve it, and their goal only, and not to consider any 'easily removable' obstacles.

The rumors she heard people whispering were about none other then Ike and Mia, and that was a large step to her goal, making her very enthusiastic.

_Ah, if only they were rumors about Ike and myself. Of course, had I made the plan work out that way, Ike would trace the rumors back to me. Not only would that make his currently inevitable break up with that green haired wench very avoidable, it would also make it nearly impossible for he and I to get back together. He and I hate each other enough as is, ever since our break up last year..._

She thought about everything around her as she walked through the school hallways, and although she questioned the way her plan had played out so far, she decided it was much better then getting right to the point of her and Ike getting back together, and Mia wouldn't get together with Ike, no, she was far from happy about the situation as well.

For now, she thought, it was much better that Ike and she stay apart, and that she simply let he and Elincia get as far away from each other as possible.

She smiled to herself further as she passed Soren and Lucia in the halls, walking as a couple and speaking about the issue with a tone of disgust. They didn't suspect her, or rather the pawn Janaff, she thought, in the slightest.

Eventually she reached her classroom, European History.

Ancient Greece, Rome, the French Revolution, or even the world wars, nothing in that classed interested her in the slightest.

She was generally a very good student, but History was a class she thought to herself in all period long every single day.

The 'pawn' Janaff, the true last thing that entered her thoughts, was on her mind.

Considering her influence over the whole ordeal, she began to thing about his predicament.

In all actuality, Janaff's chances with Lucia were slim to none, regardless of whether or not she was coupled with Soren, and he didn't realize that in the slightest.

Micaiah's master plan that was supposedly mutual and helping both of them was really meant to only help her.

In fact, she didn't even need to keep her word. She had gotten to know Janaff, and provided she didn't tell him the truth until she was with Ike, there was nothing he could do. He wouldn't destroy her relationship; he was far too weak.

So from that point of view, she had nothing to gain from breaking Soren and Lucia up.

On the other hand, she had nothing to lose either. She was not friends with Lucia, and she hadn't been romantically interested in Soren since third or fourth grade. (2)

_Ah well... let's worry about all the little details and choices later on. Later when, like last year as a sophomore, Ike had no love interest but her, and they were able to go out to movies and dinners, and she could simply lean on him with his caring arm around her shoulders. Later, when all was well in her world._

**Author's Note: Well, there wasn't much plot progress, but hey, you got to see the story from Micaiah's eyes! How's that for character development? Anyways, I'll see you this weekend! (yes, I promise the next update will be on time)  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- First time I think I've ever described how Micaiah looks in the story. Her outfit is based off of her first tier class in RD.

2- Ike is Micaiah's one and only love interest, but I couldn't miss a chance to include even the littlest bit of Soren/Micaiah. It's not present in the story at all, but I like the pairing quite a bit.


	25. The Power of False Words

**Author's Note: See? I said this update would be on time, and I meant it. Hooray for promise keeping. Anyways, this chapter we finally get back to the main characters after a four chapter segment of Janaff and Micaiah. This chapter is a Soren chapter. For pretty much the rest of the story, chapter point of view will trade between Soren, Lucia, and Janaff, with the possibility of some Micaiah chapters if people like that viewpoint. Without further ado, enjoy the update.  
**

Chapter: 25  
Chapter Title: The Power of False Words

Rumors.

Rumors were very, very powerful things. Whether good or bad, they carried immense weight. Once it got ought there, it spread. You could try to take back what you said or eradicate it all you want, but a set of strong words was like a gigantic wildfire, raging across land, spreading at a near unstoppable rate, the flames being near impossible to extinguish.

At Tellius High, a certain group of students were in romantic crisis, and unimaginably powerful rumors had the whole community involved.

The killers holding the weapons, the people at the source, were none other then Micaiah Rudol and Janaff Insight. Of course, due to the nature of the rumor, nobody could figure that out.

This rumor was even stronger than the average false tale, as it could not be traced to a definite source.

The weight carried by the false words was unbelievable.

"Soren, I mean it!"

"Ike, I would love to believe you, but I can't. There's _photographic evidence_."

"Why would I ever cheat on Elincia?"

"That's what I'm wondering."

"Look, Soren-"

"Again, it would be fantastic if I could trust you, but I just can't. You're lucky Elincia's just not talking to you, and hasn't flat out broken up with you completely!"

With that final remark, the ebon haired boy zipped up his backpack, swung it on, shut his locker, and walked down the hall.

Ike stood in silence, and let out a large exasperated sigh.

"Ugh..."

"Somebody is having a bad day."

"GAH! You!"

"Yes, me." Micaiah said simply.

"Something wrong, Ike?"

"Oh, stop. You know exactly what's wrong. You know _everything _that happens around here."

"Generally yes. There's a large amount of information I possess, spread around, and... begin."

Ike just stared at her.

"Don't tell me YOU started this!"

"Calm down, Ike. I didn't say that."

"You might as well have!"

"So accusatory. I'm hurt, Ike. As a matter of fact, I did not start this rumor."

"Really? Why should I believe that?"

"Why am I suddenly a suspect?"

"You definitely implied it."

"I can absolutely promise I did not start this rumor. I'm definitely pleased with the result-

"UUUGH..."

-but... no, it's not my doing... directly anyway."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing..."

From down the hallway, Janaff looked on.

He couldn't believe it.

Micaiah had clearly used him, and that became a thought in his mind that was both incredulous and disturbing.

She was making simple conversation with Ike, and had not intended to help him in any way from the beginning.

He was a mere fly, and he had flown straight into a spider's web.

It would be far from easy to get himself untangled from this mess.

Rumors were, as always, incredibly powerful things that were eternally underestimated, and everybody was being wrecked by this one.

**Author's Note: Well, it's pretty much chaos at this point in the story, huh? The only way to find out how it all ends is to keep reading the weekly updates! Until next time, my readers!  
**

**Footnotes:**

None


	26. Micaiah's Manipulation

**Author's Note: I'm like 98% sure the universe is out to get me. I FINALLY got back to "regular updates" and suddenly I was ambushed by events of destruction. First I was grounded for two weeks, then had to get my computer fixed, then I got swarmed with homework and had literally NO free time, THEN I had to go on spring break vacation. I got back last week, and finally got back online, and wrote the update. I went to "publish", "my stories" and then... ERROR TYPE 2. Yeah, my account has been broken all week. I've tried to get on multiple times every day, and I finally succeeded just a few hours ago. At long last, I've written chapter 26. Enjoy.  
**

Chapter: 26  
Chapter Title: Micaiah's Manipulation

Janaff sat at a bench in the school courtyard, his mind a complete train wreck.

Finally, he saw _her._

She was a simple, fair girl.

Today her silver hair was tied back with a blue ribbon.

Along with that, she wore light blue jeans, a pale light pink t-shirt, and a small golden ring with a ruby. (1)

She approached him, looking at him with her hazel eyes.

Her innocent appearance was incredibly deceiving, as always.

"You wanted to see me?" She said plainly when she came close enough too him.

"Yes, yes I did." He said in a tone that was both calm and very dark.

"Ah, you seem upset."

"Gee, I wonder why!"

"Explain"

"You've completely used me!"

"That would be an accurate assumption."

"You don't even bother defend yourself, you're so calm about it, and that makes it that much more aggravating! You never intended to help me from the start!"

"Accusations, accusations. I thought about it."

"I don't believe that for a second! You just used me as a tool to make Ike single, so that you could just have him back!"

"Well, actually, splitting apart Soren and Lucia wouldn't affect me at all, so I can go ahead and do that if you want me to."

"You know what? I don't even care at this point! I'm disgusted that you're so calm about this! Honestly, you've ripped Ike's life up using me, and now you don't mind destroying ANOTHER relationship!"

"Not in the slightest."

"I can't believe you! You're so blunt every matter you speak of, and your opinions and decisions are all so awful! You're a terrible person!"

"I feel this is a good time to say you brought this all upon yourself."

"I- what?" His anger suddenly faded, turned into surprise at what she said.

"Think about it, would you? Don't just go crazy with your rage. Honestly, you got yourself into this, and I am still willing to uphold my end of the deal. You said you wouldn't hesitate, and you did. This is what you got yourself into. The whole deal we made was based on this so-called 'destroying of relationships'. At this rate, I am going to get what I wanted, and you still can too. However, you've discovered that you are a merciful person, and whether or not you mind me saying this, you're quite weak in resolve. I'll ask you a simple question one more time, even though I know the answer- do you want me to break Soren and Lucia up? Yes or no."

"... no."

"That's what I thought. Our deal is off, and I'll just say I no longer have any relations to you. I'm going to go now, and I'll let you try to wrap your mind around this whole ordeal."

**Author's Note: Well, there you go. I also edited the ending of chapter 25, if you'd like to check that out (felt too Ike focused for me... this is a Soren/Lucia story after all). So, hopefully we can get back to regular updates FOR REAL this time. See you next week... assuming life doesn't attack me again.  
**

**Footnotes:**

1- Like Micaiah's appearance in chapter 24, this appearance is based off of her RD outfit, only this one is based on her light sage appearance.


	27. Dream World

**Author's Note:** **You know what? I'm done here, just going to say it like it is: Weekly updates aren't happening. You guys clearly know that, and I do too. I hope you guys don't mind this (please speak up if you do, review, PM, whatever, I aim to please my readers) I do think it would be best for everybody and just updated whenever. Now this works for the good and the bad- I might update more than weekly sometimes, and sometimes I might not update at all for a while. I think that would work best for everybody- I would be able to put out better chapters without a deadline, and you would be able to enjoy said chapters more, as well as possibly getting several updates in one week. ANYWAYS, enough talk of my personal life and update specifics, enjoy the chapter itself!**

Chapter: 27  
Chapter Title: Dream World

The very last paper slid out of the printer, and Janaff pulled the whole stack off the tray.

He stapled the whole thing together, and slipped it into his binder, which he then closed up and placed back into his backpack. He threw the backpack up onto his one shoulder, and then walked upstairs.

He stepped through his bedroom door, closed it, and then dropped his backpack right by it. He then sluggishly walked over to his bed, and threw himself onto it. Too tired to be angry, to care about the horrible torrent of emotions that whirled through his mind, he simply slid beneath the covers.

His head sunk into his pillow, and thick darkness gathered around him, his heavy eyelids sealed off his sight, and he was in a world of blackness, inky dark  
sleep completely consuming him.

There was a great flash of light, and Janaff felt a calming breeze. He was no longer lying on his bed, but in a field of grass. He slowly sat up, suddenly not feeling tired. The environment was lush and green, the weather was wonderful, just the perfect amount of wind, the greatest temperature. He looked about this wonderful natural environment, and saw the field nearly endless, a great, lush river valley, and majestic mountains in the distance.

He stretched, and slowly rose to his feet.

"Hey there, sleepy head"

He hadn't even slightly noticed somebody sitting next to him. It was Lucia. He stared at her; how could he not? She was beautiful. Not to mention, of course, the shock that she was there at all. She giggled at his stunned reaction, and then leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips.

It was a very brief occurrence, but it was an incredible warmth that surged through him. He stared back with a blank expression.

"What?"

"Nothing" he replied, and then smiled "Absolutely nothing, everything is okay."

He leaned back, and calmly placed his arm around her shoulders. It felt great. This world was perfect. The fact that this was a dream was pushed to the back of his mind, and he began to truly take in the beauty around him. He glanced over at Lucia, who seemed very content. Her normal appearance could easily be described as angelic, but here it truly was. It was as if her flesh shone, and she was surrounded by a warm, calming aura. She wore a white robe that fit her very well, snug against her soft skin. The sleeves reached out to just a few inches from her wrist, the robe fell to roughly half a foot below her knees, and the folds rode right below her collar bone. She seemed to have no accessories other then her silver necklace, but her face glowed as if it was decorated with the finest make up in the universe.

"You are breathtaking, Lucia..."

Lucia smiled at him, and closed the distance between the two. The two kissed again, and again, and again. It was an absolute paradise. It went on for a blissful eternity, and the two finally tired out. Janaff found himself lying down on the ground next to his lifelong love.

"I love you..." He said to her, simply plainly, and with true meaning.

"I love you too, Soren." Her reply was calm, and equally passionate. Janaff's eyes suddenly grew wide, and he sat up insanely quickly, sharply. Lucia sat up slowly as well, looking at him with curiosity.

"Soren? Is something wrong?"

Her words struck him deep. He hadn't noticed at all, far too busy enjoying his time with her, and taking in her gorgeous appearance and this perfect world to even look at himself.

Suddenly, the clear sky filled with clouds, and rain came pouring down with the sound of thunder. The whole world was quickly changed. The trees leaves all turned brown and fell off, the grass turned brown and died very quickly. The grass in front of him receded, leaving a small basin of dirt that quickly filled with water. He looked into the pool, and his ebon haired reflection's ruby eyes stared back at him. A gaze that felt like a soul-piercing glare, openly expressing the truth of Lucia's heart, and shattering his glorious realm.

He suddenly slipped forward inexplicably, and face-planted in the pool. He got back up, and his reflection was now his own. He was Janaff once more, and Soren and Lucia were walking away. Then, the whole world shattered like glass.

He woke up in his bed, in a cold sweat. He checked his alarm clock- 3:42 AM. He had spent hours in a false paradise, and that gaze, Lucia's words "I love you, Soren" drilled deep into his head.

He failed to sleep for the rest of the night, knowing only the terror and truth of the world he was in.

**Author's Note: Well, there we go! This chapter was very interesting to write, and I'd like to know what you think, so tell me in that review section! Anyways, I'll see you next week... or... well, just next time, let's leave it at that, DA.**

**Footnotes:**

none


	28. Contemplating With A Cappuccino

**Author's Note: Here's another update, within the week! Hurrah! Really great now that I'm updating on a "when I feel like it" schedule. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter: 28  
Chapter Title: Contemplating With A Cappuccino

His eyes slowly opened like a decrepit, creaking door. Light flooded his vision, and his blurry sight returned to normal as he slowly sat up, returning to the day world.

Like every night for a very long time, he had dreamed the same dream; He was in a wonderful place with Lucia, but he was Soren, not himself. The truth of his life stung constantly. He wished he could have real dreams, and not nightmares. He wished that he could at least have some time during his life where he got what he desired, unlike the real world where such things never occurred. His wishes were never those of anybody else, fate acted as his enemy, and he had recently ended a phase where EVERYBODY manipulated him... at least he hoped that "phase" had ended...

He finally got out of bed, slowly and tiredly.

It was a Saturday morning, 10:00. He would have to start the day eventually.

He got up, changed clothes into brown jeans and a red shirt. He then sluggishly walked downstairs.

After deciding to go grab some coffee in nearby downtown Melior, he threw his favorite dark green jacket on and headed out. (1) The drive was slow like his whole life in current times.

It was 60 degrees, the grass was a lush shade of green, the flora and fauna were gorgeous, but all he noticed about the supposedly beautiful environment was the dark clouds in the distance, a clear statement that such a paradise could not last. Just as clear as the warnings that his plan with Micaiah would eventually spiral downward to the situation he was in now, the warnings he chose to ignore that stuck him in his current miserable shape.

He finally reached his favorite coffee shop, and then casually walked in. The bell rang as he stepped through the door. Many other people were here on routine to grab their morning coffee as well, the tables pretty much full.

He walked around the filled tables across the white and red tiled floor, and approached the counter. A familiar girl stood on the other side, wearing sky blue skinny jeans and a white top, with her golden wavy hair flowing down.

"Morning Janaff" his cousin Leanne said from the other side.

"Morning."

"What can I get you?"

"The cinnamon coffee cake and a cappuccino."

"Okay, not a problem."

The caffeine settled in and quickly woke him up, but his mood remained dull.

In his brain, it was as though he was a sailor in the doldrums of the sea. There was no wind on that ocean, there was no direction or motivation in his life. No real place to go. A part of him said that perhaps he was taking his relationship crisis too seriously, but the part of his brain that was dominant at the moment said only that no girl could compare to Lucia.

He continued to ponder the matters of his life, not really getting anywhere despite his wild thoughts. He eventually finished his cake and drank the rest of his beverage, and exited the shop as slowly and gloomily as he had entered.

He walked back to his car, eventually reaching the dreaded intersection of Melior Central and High Fayre. The lights at the intersection took an eternity to change, and he had just missed the white crosswalk light. With a sigh, he kicked a rock up off the ground, tossing it in his boredom, and sat down on the bench.

He casually looked around. After waiting about 20 seconds, he glanced up at the street light to see if it was yellow yet.

_"Of course it's still red. You haven't even been here a minute."_

And then, he saw a silver convertible waiting at the same red light he was staring at, and waiting for. (2)

He walked up to the edge of the street.

He looked closer. His guess was confirmed.

Every element that affected his life was present. What followed would change everything.

**Authors Note: DUN DUN DUN! Cliffhanger ending! What will happen next? You'll have to wait and see.  
**

Footnotes:

1- The green, red, and brown / tan color scheme of Janaff's clothes is, like most characters, based off of his fire emblem appearance.

2- Hmmm, I wonder why that type of car seems so familiar...


End file.
